Depending on who you listen to, the media, particularly television, has little or a tremendous impact on viewers. After Littleton, Colorado, the pundits and talking heads had an accelerated field day in dealing with violence.

How can you measure the impact of violence on viewers? Let me provide two interesting positions. First, take a look at those who say the violence portrayed on the television tube or movie screen is the reason behind the tragedy in Littleton. They argue that teenagers see violence on the screen and take that violence to school. On the other hand, few teenagers perform murders like we witnessed at Colombine High School. If media violence was really behind the murders, why haven't there been more murders?

Second, we have the television industry saying that TV violence does not lead to murders. They argue that the media has little influence on the actions of those viewing television. If that is truly the case, how can the same executives say that a Super Bowl TV spot can cost one million dollars because of the impact it will have on the millions watching the football championship. Are they being untruthful when they say television has no impact on violence but can cause a viewer to buy a certain kind of beer?

In my judgment, television has a great deal to do with the decline of conduct, dress, attitudes and even the level of violence in our schools. Values have shifted greatly from the late '50s. And I firmly believe that those values have shifted, in major part, because of the cultural decadence flowing from Hollywood and television.

The television industry has had an even more important impact on what is considered important in reporting the news. From all Monica all the time to all Kosovo all the time, the air waves are focused on only one or two events. When the Littleton tragedy happened, MSNBC, the Fox News Channel and CNN all scrambled to figure out how to cover Kosovo and the school murders at the same time. And then, adding to their confusion, came the devastating tornado in Oklahoma.

Over the next several months, there will be a great deal of debate about the impact of television on our youth and society. First Amendment rights will be shouted from on high. But all of us should keep in mind that the Supreme Court has held that you cannot shout "Fire" in a crowded theater when there is no fire. The television industry should be held to the same First Amendment standard. They cannot be permitted to inflame the minds of our young people and then deny any responsibility for Littletons or sliding standards of schoolroom decorum.