Given the effect of Television on Children’s views and behaviors, what is constitutional, specifically in relation to the First Amendment, when censoring Television?
Book Sources
Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television, and the First Amendment
Minow, Newton N. and Lamay, Craig L. Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television, and the First Amendment. New York: Hill and Wang, 1995.
Reliability of the source
Minow was chairmen of the Federal Communications Commission, as well as the Public Broadcasting Service, RAND Corporation and National Educational Television. He is also a private attorney, seeing cases specifically dealing with telecommunications laws. With all this in mind, he is somewhat of an expert on the media and it’s effects in today’s society.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
The book Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television, and the First Amendment would be very useful is answer my research question. It is full of examples of the effects of television and the media on children’s behaviors, and also has many actual conflicts between censorship of the media and the first amendment.
How you found the source
I found the book Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television, and the First Amendment, through Mr. Thompson and English class, it was assigned reading.
How you would use the source in a research paper
Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television, and the First Amendment would provide a large number of real life examples to help express the basic conflict between censorship and the First Amendment. It would also help show the effects of censorship in the past, so I could be able to better predict the proper solution for the future.
Foerstel, Herbert N. Free Expression and Censorship In America. Westport: Greenwood, 1997
Reliability of the source
Mr. Foerstel is the former Head of Branch Libraries at University of Maryland and board member of the National Security Archive. This book is coincided an encyclopedia, so I can say it is very reliable.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
Free Expression and Censorship In America is a book about first amendment rights and censorship of all forms, not just specifically Televisions, so it does contain a lot of information that does specially pertain to my research question. However, the Televisions examples can be used in answering my research question, as well as parallels drawn between First Amendment rights and censoring of the internet, music etc.
How you found the source
Expanded Academic ASAP
How you would use the source in a research paper
I would use this book to help draw parallels between the censorship of other forms of media and Television. I would also take any information specifically concerning the censorship and incorporate it into my research paper.
Smith, Sarah. Children, Cinema, and Censorship: From Dracula to Dead End Kids. New York: I. B. Tauris, 2005
Reliability of the source
Sarah Smith is a Lecturer in History and Director of Open Studies at the University of Reading, so she is a profession. The book is based on original research; so that means it may either be more or less reliable, hopefully more.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
This book is specifically about the debate about children and how they respond to Television. The book focuses mainly on the controversy surrounding children, the media in the 1930’s. This is directly related to my thesis, and also the subject of the 1930’s also relates to what I studied in class, ands what one of my other book sources; Abandoned in the Wasteland: Children, Television, and the First Amendment. Is about. So it is a very useful book.
How you found your source
Expanded Academic ASAP
How you would use the source in a research paper
I shall read Sarah Smith’s research on the subject matter, and find what I find relevant to my thesis, using her examples from the 1930’s to illustrate the two sides to the issue of censorship.
Internet Sources
Parents Television Council. 2006. Eye on Entertainment, Sky Angel, Tivo: Kidszone. 9 Dec 2006. <
Reliability of the source
The Parents Television Council is a very conservative organization; this makes their opinion on the matter of censorship biased. They tend to be pro-censorship without regards to the 1st amendment.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
This is a useful website in finding information that is pro-censorship. This helps me see one side of the argument in debt.
How you found your source
I found this website through a search on Television and Censorship through
How you would use the source in a research paper
This will help gather some information from the pro-censorship side of the spectrum. I will use this info to help answer my research question, using much of it as an example of taking censorship too far.
Federal Communications Commission. 8 Dec 2006. 9 Dec 2006. <
Reliability of the source
The Federal Communications Commission is an extremely reliable source, because they are the who control the censoring of television.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
The FCC is useful in knowing the laws already in place concerning the censorship of Television.
How you found your source
I knew what the FCC was, so I searched for their website.
How you would use the source in a research paper
I will use the website to see what some of the actual laws are actually are concerning first amendment censorship, and also to read about some proposed rulings on their website.
National Coalition Against Censorship. 10 Dec 2006. 11 Dec 2006. <
Reliability of the source
The National Coalition Against Censorship is a biased website. So while much of the information may be reliable, it probably comes from a skewed perspective.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
This website is useful in helping talk about the 1st amendment the reasons for protecting it.
How you found your source
A Google search on Censorship
How you would use the source in a research paper
I will use the NCAC website to help see the other side of spectrum, as apposed to the PTC. The anti-censorship writings will help balance any arguments for censorship.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Jost, K. Children's television. 15 Aug 1997. CQ Researcher, 7, 721-744. 11 Dec 2006, from CQ Researcher Online, <
Reliability of the source
The article is well researched and very informative, it seems very reliable from reading it.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
This peer review article is very useful in answering my research question. The article specifically pertains to the actual censoring of television and how it concerns children.
How you found your source
CQ Researcher Online
How you would use the source in a research paper
I will use this article to help point out the use of the “V” chip and how it is affecting children. Also, I will use some of the facts about what is the content of television marketed to children, and how censorship will affect what children see on TV,
Clark, C. S. Sex, violence and the media.17 Nov 1995. CQ Researcher, 5, 1017-1040. 11 Dec 2006. <
Reliability of the source
This peer review article is extremely well researched, and seems very reliable, with its massive amounts of history and information.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
It is very useful in answering my question, the article specifically goes over the history of the attempts to censor television and conflicts between moral conservatives and the media.
How you found your source
CQ Researcher
How you would use the source in a research paper
This article will provide a large amount of information about the back-story of censorship in America. This will help me draw points between the past, and what we should do in the future, to help censor television without violating First Amendment rights.
Hoffner, Cynthia,Martha Buchanan,Joel David Anderson,Lisa A. Hubbs,Stacy C. Kamigaki,Laura Kowalczyk,Angela Pastorek,Richard S. Plotkin,andKelsey J. Silberg.Support for Censorship of Television Violence: The Role of the Third-Person Effect and News Exposure.(Statistical Data Included).Communication Research26.6(Dec 1999):726(17).Expanded Academic ASAP.Thomson Gale.George Mason University.11 Dec. 2006.
Reliability of the source
The reliability of the article is questionable, but there are a large number f researchers as well as statistical data to support the reliability of the article. So I believe it to be very reliable.
The sources usefulness in answering your research question
This is useful I answer my research question on account of the information concerning the effect of violence on television viewers.
How you found your source
Expanded Academic ASAP
How you would use the source in a research paper
I will use the studies data about the effect of violence on television viewers to help show the seriousness of the censorship issue, as well as dispute arguments for total 1st amendment rights