Charleston, SC — The following statement has been issued by TV Watch Executive Director, Jim Dyke:

“Americans continue to believe that parents—and not the government—should control television programming in the home. And, in fact, parents do take charge of their children's television-viewing—by monitoring programs, observing ratings, setting parental controls and using technology like DVRs and products like DVDs. Meanwhile, our government continues to usurp the role of parents by responding to activists’ “astroturf” campaigns intended to inflate complaints using duplicate submissions and recruiting people who don't even bother to view the programs they complain about. The result is millions in fines against local TV stations and reduced programming choices for all Americans.”

WHAT PARENTS ARE SAYING

• 60 percent of parents disagree with the statement: “The current parental controls and ratings systems have failed. It’s time for government to step in and do more.” (TV Watch, 6/25/2007)
• An overwhelming amount of parents (65 percent) monitor their children’s media use (Kaiser Family Foundation, 6/19/2007)
• 86 percent of parents believe that more parental involvement is the best way to keep kids from seeing what they shouldn’t see on television. (TV Watch, 6/25/2008)