Bishop Lynch said that, in preparing a statement on sex and violence in the media, the Communications Committee was acting on the recommendation of Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, who was reflecting on concerns he shared with the ecumenical and interfaith communities. The statement said that, while the influence of film and television has been subjected to much criticism in the past, today many other forms of media also influence young people and adults to engage in morally and socially destructive forms of behavior. This gateway to a vast world of learning and information is also a means of adults and children accessing obscenity, violence, and prejudice. The music industry has deservedly come under fire for the obscene and violent messages contained in some lyrics and for the bizarre and suggestive behavior seen in various music videos. Brutal video games entice youngsters into equating images of violent, lawless and sadistic worlds with what is glamorous and heroic.
Telephone services offer sexually stimulating talk of every kind.
But others also share the blame, according to the Bishops. Government too bears some responsibility. De-regulation has left consumers largely without government as an ally in promoting better media in this period of vast developments in their influence. Consumers of media also share the blame. Those who freely choose to support the industries which purvey pornography and graphic violence have responsibility not only for themselves but for others who will be trapped in what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the illusion of a fantasy world' filled with sex and violence.