Cantor to participate at national V-chip news conference

Joanne Cantor, professor of communication arts and an expert on the effects of violent and frightening media images on children, plans to participate Wednesday, June 16, at a national news conference advocating the V-chip blocking device as a way for parents to control what their children watch on television.

The V-chip allows parents to block particular channels or programs. “It can work as a sort of childproof cap for TV,” says Cantor, author of “Mommy I’m Scared,” published last September (Harvest/Harcourt Brace).

Cantor’s research indicates that exposure to media violence can contribute to violent behavior, intense anxieties and recurring nightmares in young people.

The June 16 news conference follows President Clinton’s commission of a national $1 million study to determine whether the entertainment industry deliberately is marketing violent products to young people. The Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department will conduct the study.

Beginning in January 2000, all TVs 13 inches or larger will be required to include a V-chip. The June 16 news conference, celebrating the 100,000th V-chip-equipped TV set from Thomson Consumer Electronics, is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. CDT in SC-5 of the U.S. Capitol.

In addition to Cantor, speakers include Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Kent Conrad of North Dakota and Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut; and Reps. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Dan Burton of Indiana.