Creative Coalition calls on Clinton to pull support for media bill

by SHANNON McCAFFREY Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - A group of politically active celebrities is calling on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and three other Democrats to drop support for a bill that would penalize the entertainment industry for marketing sex and violence to children.

Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Kathleen Turner and Lauren Bacall are among the more than 50 celebrities and entertainment executives from the Creative Coalition that signed a letter urging Clinton to pull her support from the ''Media Marketing and Accountability Act.'' The letter said the bill threatens the First Amendment guarantee of free speech.

The letter also targets Sens. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., Robert Byrd, D-W.Va, and Herb Kohl, D-Wis. All four are original sponsors of the media violence legislation introduced in April.

Creative Coalition president and actor William Baldwin called the bill ''an extreme reaction.''

''A governmental role in defining 'acceptable' entertainment is an indirect form of censorship,'' Baldwin said.

Clinton's Senate bid raked in large sums of money from Hollywood and top entertainment figures like those involved in the Creative Coalition. The television, movie and music industries were among the New York Democrat's largest supporters, giving her Senate bid $594,435, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

The New York City-based Creative Coalition is a nonprofit group that does not endorse or raise funds for political candidates.

''Senator Clinton has had longstanding concerns about these issues,'' her spokesman Jim Kennedy said. ''She is looking forward to continuing a dialogue with people in the arts community and others.''

Clinton's office did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Tuesday.

The bill would expand the Federal Trade Commission's authority to crack down on businesses that engage in false and deceptive advertising practices. Entertainment companies found to be marketing adult material to minors would be subject to fines of $11,000 per day.

A recent FTC report was highly critical of the film and video game industries. It singled out the music industry as the worst offender in the study of promotions for adult movies, music and video games to minors.

On the Net:

Hillary Clinton: http://clinton.senate.gov

Creative Coalition: http://www.thecreativecoalition.org

FTC: http://www.ftc.gov

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2001