Series looks at media morality, regulation

A free public lecture series this summer at the university will scrutinize media morality and investigate what might be done to control media behavior.

“It’s so easy to blame the media for exacerbating almost any social problem, from our apparent preoccupation with violence to the deterioration of the political process to moral corruption to declining standards, of public taste, to name a few,” says forum organizer Robert Drechsel, UW–Madison professor of journalism and mass communication. “Polls show a remarkable public willingness to restrict freedom of the press, either directly or by restricting those using it as a communication tool.”

The sessions will be Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning at 7 p.m. in 1100 Grainger Hall. Drechsel will lead the opening session Tuesday, June 13, “Media and the Limits of Regulation: Confronting the Issues.” Following will be:

• Carole Doeppers, director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Data Privacy Project, speaking on “Privacy and the New Media Technology,” Thursday, June 15.
• A roundtable on privacy and mass media, Tuesday, June 20, with panelists Dave Zweifel, Capital Times editor; Sandra George, Wisconsin Newspaper Association executive director, and Rep. Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids.
• Michael Pfau, UW–Madison professor of journalism and mass communication, will discuss “Effects of Political Communication: What We Know and What We Don’t Know,” Thursday, June 22.
• Kevin J. Kennedy, Wisconsin Elections Board executive director, and James E. Pugh, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce public relations director, on Tuesday, June 27, will take up state regulation and political issue advertising by third parties.
• Joanne Cantor, UW–Madison communication arts professor, will consider “The Effects of Mass Media Violence,” Thursday, June 29. Cantor is a V-chip advocate and author of the 1998 book, “Mommy I’m Scared: How TV and Movies Frighten Children What We Can Do to Protect Them.”

Drechsel will wrap up the series Thursday, July 6, with a lecture on “Regulating the Media: Problem or Solution.”

“Until we think deeply about these issues and really dissect them, we may not realize how complicated and difficult media regulation really would be. That’s exactly what we’re going to do in this series,” says Drechsel. “Once we confront the complexities, simple solutions no longer may appeal to us so greatly.”

For more information, reach Drechsel at (608) 263-3394; drechsel@facstaff.wisc.edu.