Television is being blammed for either causing or encouraging all that is wrong with our society - from delinquency to violence, from insensitivity to a loss of traditional Catholic values. It is time for us to take another look at television using the concepts of media literacy, a look that goes beyond the facile to what might be significant, meaningful and even transcendent.
John Pugente, S.J.
Father John J. Pugente, S.J., holds an M.A. in English from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, an M.A. in Film from San Francisco State University, and a Master of Theology from St. Mary’s University in Halifax. In 1983, he conducted a two-year research project on world wide media literacy, the results of which were published in a special report, and in a 1985 booklet for teachers, "Getting Started on Media Education". He has also co-authored "Media Literacy: A Resource Guide" for the Government of Onatario, and Meet the Media, a text for 11 to 15 year-olds. Since 1985, Pugente has been the Executive secretary of the Ontario-based Association for Media Literacy, and has helped organize the first and second North American Media Education conferences. He is currently Director of the Jesuit Communication Project in Toronto, where he promotes media literacy across Canada through workshops, classes, and the publication of Clipboard, a bi-annual newsletter.