Culture and Media Institute

Media Undermining ‘American Values’

Media Undermining ‘American Values’

Friday, June 08, 2007 7:39 PM

SAY IT ISN’T SO!!! THIS IS NO SECRET, IS IT? HELLO?

As I write and post this, the Space Shuttle Atlantis is due to launch in 2 minutes or so. THERE is some American Values right there. I pray for a safe launch and recovery. Lift off at 1838 TX time!

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A new survey commissioned by a media watchdog group claims the news and entertainment media are damaging the nation’s moral values.

The Culture and Media Institute (CMI) has published a report called “The Media Assault on American Values: The conflict between the media, personal responsibility, and respect for religion.” The report finds that 68 percent of Americans say the media have a negative impact on moral values in this country. In addition, 73 percent say the entertainment industry is having a negative impact.

At an event in Washington to unveil the report, CMI director Bob Knight argued the more a person watches television, the less likely he is to accept personal responsibility for his actions. “We believe that the figures show clearly that the more TV you watch, the more you want to depend on the government,” Knight explained.

“The people who are heavy TV viewers, by 63 percent, think government should be primarily responsible for our healthcare,” he continued. “Sixty-four percent believe government should be primarily responsible for retirement. That’s a good deal higher than the light TV viewers and the overall findings.”

According to the report, “heavy television viewers” watch four or more hours each evening; “light” viewers, one hour or less.

The report also shows the more a person watches TV, the less likely he is to value religious principles and obedience to God. “So there’s something happening out there,” Knight commented. “If you watch a lot of TV, you think maybe your problems are someone else’s problems.”

“The Media Assault on American Values” report is available online at the CMI website [PDF].