As social mores have evolved in the United States in recent years, outspoken "media reformers" such as Donald Wildmon, the chair of the American Family Association (AFA), have expressed increasing concern about the role of the media, Particularly that of television, in American culture. Wildmon is regarded by some as a self-appointed censor. To others, he is a minister whose congregation crosses the nation and comprises followers upset with the kinds of material seen on television.

     Wildmon, a soft-spoken fundamentalist Methodist minister from Tupelo, Mississippi, graduated from Emory University's Divinity School. He has spoken often of the roots for his current cause: in 1977, when his family of young children were gathered around the TV set, he found nothing for them to watch that was not marked by sex, violence, adultery, and swearing. He vowed to his family that he would do something about it.

     At the time he was the pastor of a Methodist church in Mississippi. He asked his congregation to go without television for one week and found such a striking reaction to the content of programming and to this action taken against the medium that he formed the National Federation for Decency (NFD; renamed American Family Association in 1988). From that time he never reentered the regular ministry.

     Early on, Wildmon discovered that preaching to network chiefs, advertisers, and programmers was not an easy task. By 1980 he had joined with the Reverend Jerry Falwell, leader of the Moral Majority, to form the Coalition for Better Television (CBTV). Members began to observe and record, with a form of "content analysis," the numbers of sexual references, instances of episodes ridiculing Christian characters, and other aspects of programming deemed offensive. Armed with statistics that, to him, demonstrated the erosion of Christian principles by television programs, Wildmon visited corporate heads. On one occasion he convinced the chairman of Procter and Gamble to withdraw advertising from approximately 50 TV shows.

     Disputes between Wildmon and Falwell broke up CBTV, and Wildmon started another group, Christian Leaders for Responsible Television (CLEAR-TV). His concern spread from television to movies to the distribution of adult magazines. He targeted movie studios such as MCA-Universal. distributor of The last Temptation of Christ. with its "blasphemous depiction" of biblical accounts. He organized campaigns against retail chains 7-Eleven and Kmart (parent company of Waldenbooks). where adult magazines were sold. Also. he protested against hotel chains such as Holiday Inn for carrying adult movies on in-house cable systems.

     Wildmon's boycotting strategies have been both direct, going to the heads of companies to request that they not sponsor anti-Christian materials, and indirect, asking media users to not buy those products advertised on questionable programs. In some cases, he seems to have been successful. Pepsico was persuaded to cancel commercials in which the pop singer Madonna's uses of religious imagery appeared. Mazda Motor of America withdrew advertising from NBC's Saturday Night lil'e because of its "indecent, vulgar, and offensive" nature. When Burger King was found advertising on TV shows containing "sex, violence, profanity, and anti-Christian bigotry," it was induced to run a newspaper ad, an "Open Letter to the American People," declaring its support of "traditional American family values on TV." Some of Wildmon's critics question whether such persuasion by Wild­mon is a form of censorship. Others, including Wildmon, insist that such boycotts and public pressure are "as American as the Boston tea party."

     To communicate with its supporters and encourage their activism, the AFA uses a variety of media, including a journal. a radio network, print and electronic newsletters, the Internet, and videotapes. The AFA Journal (which is available in print and online) and the association's website regularly present descriptions of "troublesome" TV programs and identify the advertisers supporting the shows. Accompanying this material are the names and addresses of the offending corporations and their chief executive officers, so AFA followers can lodge their complaints and pressure sponsors and producers to change their ways. The AFA also uses its journal and website to link individuals to their representatives in Congress, thereby promoting active citizen participation in the lawmaking process. Articles in the journal cover a number of topics, such as the National Endowment for the Arts' funding of "anti­ Christian" art: legal and legislative contests over prayer in public schools, abortion, and gay rights: advice for families and individuals seeking to live according to moral precepts upheld by the AFA: and the activities of politicians and others who support or oppose the AFA's priorities. Supporters can sign up for the AFA's e-mail "Action Alerts," outlining issues and appropriate actions to take. The AFA also distributes the Fight Back Book (a directory of television advertisers and products) and sells video exposes of forces seeking to undermine the AFA's vision of a Christian America. One such video, titled MTV Examined, was described as a "comprehensive-and sometimes shocking-look at the destructive effects of MTV and how the programming often crosses the line from entertainment to promotion of illicit sex, violence, drug abuse, immorality, profanity, and liberal politics."

     More liberal forms of media have been outspoken critics of these efforts. Playboy has regularly lashed out against Wildmon. presumably because of his attacks on retail outlets that sell the magazine. Other media outlets often simply ignore him. In 1994 Wildmon's attacks hit a crescendo and gained national attention when he was brought to public attention, before its airing on ABC, the controversial cop sho" NYPD Blue. The show's producer. Steven Bochco, had indicated that he would push the frontier of what would be seen on prime-time TV with a series that included controversial language, adult situations and brief scenes of nudity. This would be television akin to what might be seen in R-rated movies. Wildman called for a  boycott.  Amid Bochco's promotions and Wildmon's protests, the show attracted viewers and received good ratings. as well as many positive critical notices. A number of ABC affiliates chose not to carry the show, however, and there was some controversy surrounding its advertisers. However, the viewing public soon became acclimated; the show did not seem strikingly indecent to many, and it continued to employ strong language, sexual imagery, and mature themes into the early 2000s. Although Wildman later conceded that his vigorous protests against the show probably attracted attention to it, he remains convinced that he can improve American culture by voicing his objections to other programs that do not meet his moral standards. For example, when ABC broadcast Ellen, a sitcom in which the title character came out as a lesbian, Wild­ man and the AFA again targeted the network and the program's sponsors, and the association took credit when the show was later canceled. AFA likewise pressures advertisers to make "moral" commercials, free of overt sexual references and imagery that the AFA deems disrespectful to Christianity. For instance, in 2002 the AFA urged Americans to boycott Hellmann's/Best Foods because it featured male strippers in a mayonnaise spot.

     While the idea of consumer activism and consumer boycotting originated with liberals in the 1960s and 1970s, in ensuing decades such causes and tactics frequently came from the political right. Wildman, as leader of the forces attacking  the media and  television in particular, brought to many people the idea that they were not helpless in countering media influences. In doing so, he has taken a prominent place in a long line  of advocates addressing the social and cultural role of television.