Is children's TV social poison?

From Guardian Online

PhilipPullman has been at it again. He has condemned children's television as 'social poison', treating its audience purely as marketing opportunities.

"There used to be ... a sense of responsibility among broadcasters: a feeling that this extraordinary medium ... should be used to make things better, richer, more interesting for those who made up the audience - especially for children," he is quoted. 'The ideology of "profit before everything" in children's television is toxic … When young audiences are regarded as customers to be separated from their money as quickly and efficiently as possible, there is no chance for life-enhancing work to flourish.'

This is not a new sentiment, but Pullman does put it across pretty strongly, doesn't he?

Pullman also has something to say about adult fiction, "Fantasy, and fiction in general, is failing to do what it might be doing … It has unlimited potential to explore all sorts of metaphysical and moral questions, but it is not doing that ... You can't leave morality out unless your work is so stupid and trivial and so worthless that nobody would want to read it anyway."

Ouch.

A new film based on Pullman's novel, The Golden Compass, starring Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman, the first movie based on his trilogy, His Dark Materials, opens end of the year.

Full story: http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2089132,00.html