Norsk Medietidsskrift (Jan 1998)

Den offentlige angst

  • Ola Erstad

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 5
pp. 5 – 18

Abstract

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As a frame of reference for discussing this issue the article focuses on the Norwegian 'governmental action plan against violence in the visual media" (1995-1997). Through different kinds of activities the steering committee of this plan hoped to create a public debate about media violence and to do something about specific areas (distribution, content, receivership and public awareness). This article is not an evaluation study of the action plan itself, but is trying to problematize what these strategies represent as a public domain. In the first part the author describes one example of how media violence develops as a subject in the public sphere, and how the media themselves play an active role in these developments. Further on, the article looks closer into the use of public campaigns as a strategy against media violence, and how this might be linked to specific Norwegian political agendas. Towards the end of the article one issue is higlighted. That is how different groups of specialists dominate the discourse on media violence and what role media researchers play in this setting. As a conclusion two research areas (our visual culture' and 'self-regulation') are put forward as important issues for further elaboration of media violence as a public and private domain.