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AAP News Vol. 13 No. 1 January 1997, p. 15 © 1997 American Academy of Pediatrics
A ratings system proposed by the television industry will not receive Academy support because the system is age-based rather than content-based. The Academy issued its statement in response to a draft proposal seeking to institute a ratings system similar to that used by the movie industry, which labels programs by age groups. At press time, the final proposal was slated for a Dec. 19 release, and no drastic changes were anticipated. The AAP Committee on Communications(CoComm) established a Principle on TV Ratings, which was reflected in a letter sent by AAP President Robert Hannemann, M.D., to Jack Valenti, president and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). "Generalized ratings that are warnings will not convey proactively to parents the considerable difference between a war documentary and a violent made-for-TV movie."
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