Action For Media Education
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Finding Quality Programming
Things to look for:
DIVERSITY
One of the great flaws of the human condition is that we are afraid of what we donít know. The unfamiliar becomes the ìunsafe.î So it is in our best interests, as wise media consumers, to utilize the vast array of on-screen choices for MAXIMUM EXPOSURE TO THE NEW AND DIFFERENT. After all, homogenization is a concept that may work for dairy products, but it rarely works for intellectual products. Our best advice: look for programming with a broad spectrum of color, ethnicity, size, shape, age, belief and gender. Children look for faces like their own: FIND THEM.
One of the great flaws of the human condition is that we are afraid of what we donít know. The unfamiliar becomes the ìunsafe.î So it is in our best interests, as wise media consumers, to utilize the vast array of on-screen choices for MAXIMUM EXPOSURE TO THE NEW AND DIFFERENT. After all, homogenization is a concept that may work for dairy products, but it rarely works for intellectual products. Our best advice: look for programming with a broad spectrum of color, ethnicity, size, shape, age, belief and gender. Children look for faces like their own: FIND THEM.
CURIOSITY AND LEARNING
Someone recently said of the legendary Walter Cronkite, "He still has the curiosity of a childóthatís what keeps him going." Take this advice to heart when looking for programs to watch with your kids: what will it teach? What will it present? Will it fire the imagination enough to make the viewer want to learn more? If the answerís yes, TUNE IN.
Someone recently said of the legendary Walter Cronkite, "He still has the curiosity of a childóthatís what keeps him going." Take this advice to heart when looking for programs to watch with your kids: what will it teach? What will it present? Will it fire the imagination enough to make the viewer want to learn more? If the answerís yes, TUNE IN.
FROM PAGE TO SCREEN
If your family is entranced by a particular show adapted from a literary work, RUN, DO NOT WALK, to the library and find the original, and make a point of exploring that work together. What was changed as the story went from page to screen? What was added? And what was left out? The better children understand not only the changes, but the reason for them, the better they will be able to see that process at work in other arenasÖsuch as the relationship between news that comes their way via print, broadcast, and internet. READ MORE ABOUT IT.
If your family is entranced by a particular show adapted from a literary work, RUN, DO NOT WALK, to the library and find the original, and make a point of exploring that work together. What was changed as the story went from page to screen? What was added? And what was left out? The better children understand not only the changes, but the reason for them, the better they will be able to see that process at work in other arenasÖsuch as the relationship between news that comes their way via print, broadcast, and internet. READ MORE ABOUT IT.
ROLE MODELS
Thanks to a commitment on the part of more production houses, there are increasing numbers of documentaries about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. HBOís "Iron Jawed Angels" covered the womenís suffrage movement as it has never been seen before."Something The Lord Made" addressed the courage of a 1930s southern surgeon, as he asked his African American lab assistant to guide him through the implementation of a new cardiac procedure invented by the less formally educated man. The procedure has saved the lives of millions of children. There are hundreds of programs that explore human milestones: FIND THEM.
Thanks to a commitment on the part of more production houses, there are increasing numbers of documentaries about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. HBOís "Iron Jawed Angels" covered the womenís suffrage movement as it has never been seen before."Something The Lord Made" addressed the courage of a 1930s southern surgeon, as he asked his African American lab assistant to guide him through the implementation of a new cardiac procedure invented by the less formally educated man. The procedure has saved the lives of millions of children. There are hundreds of programs that explore human milestones: FIND THEM.
NON-VIOLENT CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Use the "Star-Trek: Next Generation" diplomatic model: force should be the last, not the first choice, as a means of problem solving. And yes, we share your concern that this will be one of the more difficult challenges you face as viewers. KEEP AT IT.
Use the "Star-Trek: Next Generation" diplomatic model: force should be the last, not the first choice, as a means of problem solving. And yes, we share your concern that this will be one of the more difficult challenges you face as viewers. KEEP AT IT.
NEW NEWS
Once upon a time, children complained when their parents watched the evening news because it was ìsooooo boring.î Now they complain because it can be "SO scary." In a post-9/11 world, it is essential to keep informed. Parents need to know that there is a connection between the repetition of disturbing images and the nightmares of a child. The evening news is not made for kids. It can skew their view of the world. Children frequently don’t realize that just because they see the images again, the event is not happening again. Two solutions: first, limit children’s exposure to news; second, empowerment. If your child sees a news item about a disaster, your first question as a parent can be, "How can we help?" Send blankets. Make cards. Collect items in the neighborhood. Do something!
Once upon a time, children complained when their parents watched the evening news because it was ìsooooo boring.î Now they complain because it can be "SO scary." In a post-9/11 world, it is essential to keep informed. Parents need to know that there is a connection between the repetition of disturbing images and the nightmares of a child. The evening news is not made for kids. It can skew their view of the world. Children frequently don’t realize that just because they see the images again, the event is not happening again. Two solutions: first, limit children’s exposure to news; second, empowerment. If your child sees a news item about a disaster, your first question as a parent can be, "How can we help?" Send blankets. Make cards. Collect items in the neighborhood. Do something!