by Pat Kipping

About the author: Pat Kipping is president of the Association for Media Literacy–Nova Scotia.

When my children were young, in a well-meaning effort to protect them from the horrors of TV and play violence, I became, like many good parents and peace activists, an unwitting participant in what Elizabeth Thoman at the Centre for Media Literacy in Los Angeles calls “the circle of blame.” This is how it works. Viewers blame the producers for making violent programs. Producers blame the broadcasters for wanting programs that get high ratings. Broadcasters blame the advertisers for sponsoring highly rated programs regardless of content. Advertisers blame the viewers for watching and pushing up the ratings of violent shows. “We’re only giving them what...