(6) Wed 16 Aug 95 18:26 By: Robin Murray-o'hair To: All Re: Relig. Decency Campaign/Intern

(6)     Wed 16 Aug 95 18:26
By: Robin Murray-o'hair
To: All
Re: Relig. Decency Campaign/Internat.
St:
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@EID:0e53 1f109340
@MSGID: 1:382/1006.0 886D130C
@TID: WILDMAIL!/WC v4.11  94-0279
RELIGIOUS "DECENCY" CAMPAIGN GOES INTERNATIONAL

by Conrad F. Goeringer

     The religious right's campaign against violence, sex,
and blasphemy in media is taking on an international dimension
and targeting countries which by even American standards have had
a more open, liberal communications policy. Leading the crusade
is Christian film critic Ted Baehr who recently addressed
governmental and private bodies in England and Germany. Invited
by British Lord Orr-Erwing, Baehr addressed the House of Lords
recently and urged tough government action to "clean up the
screens" throughout the United Kingdom. Interviews with the BBC
and other British media followed. Two Christian organizations
have pledged to begin publication of a U.K. version of
"Movieguide," a morality watchdog journal Baehr and the Christian
Film and Television Commission publish in this country.

     According to religious news service reports, Baehr's
talk before Parliament was received favorably by groups such as
the Church of England, the Christian Broadcasting Service, and
the notorious National Viewers and Listeners Association. The
Christian Film and Television Commission has issued a series of
"guidelines" for U.S. television and movie producers, including
demands that programs or films not portray religion in a negative
light. The Commission has expanded its activities to Canada,
Australia, South Africa, India and Holland.

V-Chip Not Enough

     Baehr and the Christian Film and Television
Commission have also supported President Clinton's call for a
V-Chip which would allow parents to block out entire channels or
block specific programs which carry a certain rating of violence
content. But Baehr insists that the chip is only "part of the
answer" in "protecting" society.

     The chip is the brainchild of Professor Tim Collings,
and was developed in Canada. In order to operate, all programs
would have to be rated by either an industry or government board.
Certain programs would be broadcast with a special signal which
would trigger the chip and block certain shows. According to
religious news sources, a system is now being tested in Canada
which would rate programs on four categories: language, violence,
sex and nudity. The ratings would be based on a scale of 1 to 10;
even so, a viewer setting the V-chip at a "2" rating for all
categories would exclude most of the relatively tame- and-lame
PG-13 films. Some religious activists worry that the chip
effectively "shifts the burden" to parents, thus somehow
encouraging programmers to produce more violent offerings. A
Religious News article on Baehr lamented that "the V-chip won't
help Christians exclude New Age or humanist programs" either.  In
fact, the new device according to Religious News "will probably
encourage media executives to broadcast or cablecast more sex and
violence unless the number of people excluding this material
through their programming of the V-Chip makes it economically
impractical to broadcast or cablecast such programs."

     Baehr insists that the V-Chip needs to be combined
with other methods, including "government enforcement of laws
against obscene and indecent broadcasts."

"Uber Alles"

     Baehr also has met with evangelical groups in
Germany, who reportedly are trying to arrange for him to speak
before the German Parliament on decency issues.

     One theme advanced by religious decency groups is
that the public demand for violent, obscene and anti- religious
programs is declining. Critics point out, however, that such a
statement does not take into account the wide range of film and
television programming, and that comparing media on the basis of
such criteria is often a complex and daunting task. The violence
and sex in "Waterworld," for instance, is within an entirely
different context than what is gratuitously shown in
"Virtuosity." Civil libertarians suggest that the "reduce the
demand" approach by groups such as the Christian Film and
Television Commission simply masks a more fundamental desire to
enact regulation and censorship of all media, including computer
networks.  But while Baehr expresses his concern over exposed
buttocks and breasts, or a four- letter word, on television, he
seems to have less respect for the accuracy of his own media
productions. The activism of the Christian Film and Television
Commission in South Africa is no coincidence, either. In 1987,
Ted Baehr was president of Good News Communications based in
Atlanta, Georgia. According to the book "Spiritual Warfare; The
Politics of the Christian Right" by Sara Diamond (South End
Press, 1989), Baehr and his group were part of a right-wing nexus
defending the apartheid regime in South Africa and attacking the
ANC (African National Congress) lead by Nelson Mandella and
Oliver Tambo. Part of the Christian right campaign was to disrupt
a planned meeting between Secretary of State George Shultz and
ANC President Tambo. On September 11, 1986, Robertson's "700
Club" program aired a feature titled "Who is the ANC?," which
featured film of alleged and unsubstantiated atrocities,
including the infamous "necklace," where victims were burned
alive with a gasoline-soaked tire. Diamond notes that "Between
the violent scenes were clips of ANC President Oliver Tambo and
Winnie Mandela advocating all-out war against the South African
government."  Diamond traces this dubious film footage to
"independent" Christian video companies such as My Father's
Business, Inc. Featured along with the "atrocity" scenes was an
interview with an "expert" on the South African political
situation, one Craig Williamson. What was not mentioned was the
fact that Williamson was exposed as far back as 1980 as a police
infiltrator for the South African security services.

     The "atrocity" footage then found its way to Good
News Communications and Dr. Baehr. Of this footage, Diamond notes
that "Viewers see the burning flesh and hear the crowds rage
against the victims. Curiously, in none of the video
presentations is there an identification of where the violence
took place or who the perpetrators were. Instead, the message is
conveyed through the propaganda technique of quick back-and-forth
juxtaposition of atrocity scenes with clips of ANC leaders
speaking."

     Today, the political and social situation in South
Africa has changed dramatically, and Nelson Mandella is president
of that country. Numerous Christian groups there are organizing
to prevent the adoption of a "secular" constitution. Fears of
creating a truly pluralistic society and instituting
Western-style civil libertarianism (including freedom of
expression) has religionists worried.

     Many evangelicals also see themselves despite
significant gains in the U.S. surrounded by a hostile,
corrupting, secular world. "Purity crusades" on behalf of
"wholesome" TV and film programs are perceived as a way of
combatting irreligiosity and moral breakdown. But for Ted Baehr,
the true nature of "violence" and how it should be presented in
the world, is very much a case of political bias and expediency.

--30--

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