Includes bibliographical references (p. 229-249) and index.

Current Context -- Myth 1: Violence in the media does not affect me, but others are at high risk -- Myth 2: The media are not responsible for the negative effects of their violent messages -- Myth 3: Children are especially vulnerable to the risks of negative exposure to media violence -- Myth 4: There is too much violence in the media -- Myth 5: Violence in the media reflects violence in society -- Myth 6: The media are only responding to market desires -- Myth 7: Violence is an essential element in all fiction -- Myth 8: Reducing the amount of violence in the media will solve the problem -- Myth 9: The First Amendment protects the media from restrictions on violence -- Myth 10: The rating systems and V-chip will help solve the problem -- Myth 11: There is nothing I can do to make an effect on reducing the problem -- Prognosis for Improvement.

The 11 Myths of Media Violence clearly explains why media violence has not only been allowed but encouraged to escalate. Esteemed author W. James Potter challenges many of our assumptions about the relationship between media and violence. He argues that these assumptions are the primary barriers preventing us from confronting the issue of violence in films, TV, and video games.

While dispelling misperceptions and evoking emotions, each chapter: -- identifies a myth, its origin, its acceptance by the public, and its growth in popularity-- analyzes the faulty nature of the myth and shows how it deflects attention away from the truth-- presents "dilemmas" that challenge readers to reconsider their assumptions-- includes a list of indispensable references

The 11 Myths of Media Violence provides an in-depth review of how Congress, journalists, and researchers contribute to the problem and raises important questions that place the reader at the heart of the conflict. W. James Potter takes a broad social science approach, presenting technical information in a direct, balanced, and very readable manner.

Students and scholars of Mass Media, Communications, Film, and Sociology will find The 11 Myths of Media Violence inspires passionate discussion and innovative research. Consumer activists, teachers, and families will find it an essential resource and invaluable step toward finding solutions to this critical social issue.