James Bowman

James Bowman is the American editor of the London Times Literary Supplement and film critic for the American Spectator magazine. In the following viewpoint, Bowman takes issue with those who maintain that some depictions of violence on television have artistic merit. Unlike theater or other serious artistic media, the overriding goal of commercial television is to deliver an audience to advertisers, he states. Thus, television does not use violence as a means toward creating art, Bowman contends, but instead depends on scenes of explicit violence (as well as sexual and suggestive material) to attract and titillate viewers and make a profit for the networks.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What opinions does Bowman express about the arguments made by people in the television industry who say they are fighting for free speech rights...