Jon Katz

Jon Katz is a media critic, a novelist, and a contributing editor of Wired. In the following viewpoint, taken from his book Virtuous Reality, Katz argues that media violence is not responsible for social problems such as youth crime. He contends that “mediaphobes”—including frightened parents, opportunistic politicians, and journalists—have unfairly accused the media of corrupting young people. The true causes of youth crime and violence, Katz maintains, include lax gun-control laws, poverty, and single-parent households.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What percentage of Americans believe that television is most responsible for youth violence, according to a New YorkTimes survey cited by Katz?
2. Why have journalists been reluctant to probe the true causes of urban violence, according to Katz?
3. What has Harvard psychiatrist Robert Coles determined...