Renewing the Mind of the Media: Pledge 2004
Parents are finding it more difficult to find entertainment for their families that is untainted by harmful portrayals of sex and violence, even among broadcast listings. Primetime fare includes programming - and even advertising - unsuitable for younger audiences. As fewer companies own larger segments of the news and entertainment industries, and stockholders demand greater profits, it is reasonable to believe that sex and violence will be even more prevalent on television and in the movies than it is today.
Grassroots efforts in 2003 in response to the potential for greater media consolidation proved what the nation's bishops said in Renewing the Mind of the Media that regular citizens can have an impact on the media and our government, which regulates the media.
To help exert a positive influence on the media and government regulators, please sign the Renewing the Mind of the Media pledge below.
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We, the Catholic people of the United States, united in our families, parishes, and dioceses, together with our bishops, pledge to encourage media leaders to act responsibly, to make room for voices they have neglected, and to eliminate anything that diminshes our appreciation of God's image in cration.
We urge our government representatives to use their influence appropriately so that the media will strive to serve the common good and not only their own interests. We pledge to reject media that produce immoral content and demean the dignity of the human person.
[For your privacy, we are not asking for further identifying information. No one will contact you.]
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To promote awareness of whether the media is contributing to authentic peace, I promise to do one or more of the following:
____ Discuss news coverage with family and/or friends – is it objectively providing the information you need?
____ Contact my local broadcast outlets to submit comments for their license-renewal. Comment especially on whether their news is balanced or whether it sensationalizes violent incidents.
____ Contact at least one advertiser that sponsors programs which contribute to or do not contribute to building an authentic peace and ask them to continue or to withdraw their support, respectively.
____ Trade one hour a week using media for an hour in prayer for peace.
Funded by the Catholic Communication Campaign