EUROPE/ITALY - ASSOCIATION OF CATHOLIC SPECTATORS CLOSE TO BISHOPS CONFERENCE HOLDS 16TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY: “THE MEDIA AT THE SERVICE OF THE INDIVIDUAL PERSON AND THE COMMUNITY”

Monday, 10 November 2003

Rome (Fides Service ) – The 16th general assembly of AIART, Association of Catholic Spectators close to the Italian Catholic Bishops Conference on the theme: “The Media at the Service of the Individual Person and the Community” was held on 9 November at the Salesian General House in Rome.
A AIART survey on children and television revealed that children between 3 and 10 years of age watch television for an average time of 2 hours 40 minutes a day and 20% of them spend more than four hours a day in front of a television . This shows that television is a consistent part of the daily experience of children who add models and behaviour seen on television to their valuation of reality.
The purpose of the Association is to promote constant monitoring of the quality of television programmes as well as to launch an awareness campaign among parents and educators. Unfortunately results obtained so far are not encouraging. Outgoing AIART national president Mrs Maria Pia Garavaglia, who is also deputy mayor of Rome, says that the aim of monitoring is to “involve television viewers responsible and help them realise their role”. If monitoring was seen up to now as a way to improve quality of programmes and influence the choice of programmes now, in view of its first results, it appears to be the only means to increase awareness of television audiences. (AP) (10/11/2003 Fides Service; lines:22 words:239)


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