National Federation for Decency
The National Federation for Decency (NFD) was established in Tupelo, Mississippi, by United Methodist minister Donald E. Wildmon with the intent of advocating for more responsible content in the entertainment industry. The organization aimed to hold accountable those companies that produce media perceived as undermining traditional family values. In 1977, the NFD gained significant attention with its "Turn Off the TV Week," which marked the beginning of its activism. Over the years, the NFD expanded into a nationwide network of over 450 local affiliates. In 1988, the organization rebranded itself as the American Family Association (AFA) and broadened its focus beyond entertainment to encompass various issues related to conservative Christian values. The AFA has engaged in efforts to influence public perception and policy, successfully campaigning against certain media content and advocating for the civil rights of Christians. Its initiatives have included the removal of explicit material from federal prisons and the organization of protests against specific films and advertising campaigns.
Subject Terms
National Federation for Decency
Founded: 1977
Type of organization: Christian pressure group
Significance: The NFD has had a significant influence on sponsors of television programs and in leading protests against films
The NFD was founded in Tupelo, Mississippi, by United Methodist minister Donald E. Wildmon. His intentions in founding the NFD were to pressure the entertainment industry to be more responsible about what they produced. The NFD wished to hold accountable the companies that sponsor programs that the NFD perceived as attacking traditional family values. The NFD’s protest started with a “Turn Off the TV Week” in 1977 that brought the group to the forefront of the entertainment industry’s attention. Since then the NFD has expanded its group to a nationwide network of more than 450 local affiliates.
In 1988 the National Federation for Decency changed its name to the American Family Association (AFA). It has broadened its organizational views by extending its values to other areas besides the entertainment industry. The AFA has a nonprofit law center for defending the civil rights of Christians. It operates a radio station with the intention of creating a nationwide network of radio stations.
The AFA has been effective in its work by achieving the removal of pornography magazines from the federal prisons, pressuring the Pepsi-Cola company into removing Madonna as their spokesperson, and causing ABC a loss of nearly one million dollars in advertising revenues per episode for its drama NYPD Blue. In 1988 Wildmon was an outspoken figure in the protests against Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Temptation of Christ.