From DEREK COGGRAVE
I was interested to read ‘When the medium’s message is violent . . .’ by
Jerome Burne (29 May). The question posed was whether television violence is
a benign reflection of society’s mood, or an agent provocateur?
Advertising cigarettes on television is now banned because, we are told, it
might influence children to smoke. Also, commercial companies, political
parties, and government agencies all – at vast expense – use television as a
means of influencing public opinion.
If we believe those who tell us that violence on television has no influence
on the level of violence in society, we must also believe that the agencies
which spend billions of pounds on television advertising are wasting their
money.
Derek Coggrave
London
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