23. PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATORS. It would be unfair to suggest that all
communications media and all communicators are involved in this noxious
trafficking. Many communicators retain high personal and professional standards
and seek to fulfill their responsibilities with a strong commitment to moral
norms and the common good. Their efforts - especially the efforts of those who
seek to provide wholesome family entertainment - deserve recognition and
encouragement. We urge these communicators to join in formulating and applying
ethical codes for the communications media and for advertising which respect
the common good and promote sound human development. Such codes are
particularly necessary for television, which makes it possible for images to
enter directly into the home where children may often be alone and
unsupervised. Effective self-control is always the best control, and
self-regulation by the media can be the first and best line of defense against
those who would corrupt the media and society itself by seeking to profit from
pornography and violence. We also urge communicators to help make better known
through the media the steps which can be taken to stem the tide of pornography
and the exaltation of violence in society.
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