America's Parents Speak Out In Court TV Survey: U.S. Middle Schools Should Teach About The Consequences of Violence.

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Jan. 6, 1999--An exclusive national survey, released today and conducted on behalf of Court TV by Bruskin-Goldring Research, has found that America's parents strongly support education that teaches their children about the consequences of violence.

When asked - "How do you feel about middle schools teaching children about the consequences of violence?" - an overwhelming majority - 85 percent - believed this concept is "a good idea." Only 6 percent thought it was "a bad idea" for middle schools to take on this subject and 9 percent "didn't know".

Asked about today's television ratings system, the majority of the people surveyed - 53 percent - answered that they use the system to guide their child's viewing of television programming. In contrast, 41 percent said they do not use the ratings system as a guide, and 6 percent did not have a response.

Commenting on the findings of the Court TV survey, Sue Swaim, Executive Director, National Middle School Association, said, "The young adolescent years are the perfect time to teach about anti-violence. This is the time when they are forming the attitudes they'll carry through life."

Remarked Dan Levinson, Executive VP/Marketing for Court TV, "Everyday, on our network we see the painful results of young people acting recklessly without thought or fear of the consequences. It is our desire to create curricula that utilize the stark reality of courtroom footage and turn it into a powerful educational tool that teachers around the country can use to help kids think out their actions ahead of time."

Another question in the Court TV survey asked parents "How much can the violence portrayed by the following media (television, video games and movies) lead to violent behavior in children?" According to 64.3 percent of the survey's participants, TV contributed "very much" to such behavior. Movies were cited by 62.4 percent and video games were noted by 50.1 percent of those surveyed.

Asked to rate today's video games, a majority of survey participants - 55.6 percent - said these games are "extremely violent."

Continued Levinson, "These results are distressing. However, we are pleased that the nation's cable operators are working with Court TV to help deliver our curricula into schools in the hopes of counterbalancing the heavy volume of violence that is portrayed in today's media."

The national Court TV survey was conducted by Bruskin-Goldring Research during December 1998. A total of 1,012 adults were interviewed by telephone during this time. Female respondents totaled 558, while 454 males participated.

Court TV, a 24 hour basic cable network, provides a window on the American system of justice through distinctive programming, which both informs and entertains. As the first and only cable network dedicated to crime and punishment, Court TV broadcasts live trials by day and crime stories and the evening. The channel's broad-based public affairs initiative - "Choices and Consequences" - aimed at young adolescents provides programs, events and curricula and resource guides. A service of Time Warner Entertainment and Liberty Media Corp., Court TV (http://www.courttv.com) is distributed to more than 35 million households.