Jonathan Freedman

Jonathan Freedman is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. The following viewpoint is taken from testimony he presented in 1995 before a U.S. Senate committee that was holding hearings on television violence. Freedman argues that, despite the claims made by some media scholars, a direct cause-and-effect relationship between media violence and violence in society has not been demonstrated. In fact, he asserts, the messages taught by television programs may actually discourage viewers from resorting to violence as a way to resolve conflicts.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What is the maximum possible effect television violence may have on the violent crime rate, according to Freedman?
2. What messages or lessons are conveyed by most violent television programs, in the author&rsquo...