National
Institute on Media and the Family Launches
Nationwide Capital Campaign
The National Institute on Media and the
Family recently launched a nationwide capital
campaign. The proceeds from the campaign
will provide resources and tools to educate
parents about the influence of media on
children and youth. The “Watch What
Your Kids Watch” campaign will support
the following three critical initiatives.
Public Education Campaign. The National
Institute on Media and the Family will use
print and television advertising, public
service announcements, its Web site, and
speaking engagements to spread the word
on what it means to be MediaWise® families
and communities.
Building MediaWise Communities. In
partnership with community leaders from
the education, healthcare, religion, government
and business sectors, the National Institute
on Media and the Family will provide training
and materials and ongoing consultation to
launch and maintain 50 MediaWise projects.
Building the Knowledge Base. This
initiative will allow the National Institute
on Media and the Family to continue to be
the world's leading and most respected research-based
organization on the positive and harmful
effects of media on children and youth.
The Institute will be provided with the
resources to fund the next frontier of research
on the impact of media.
Research will focus on: brain-based research,
ongoing studies about the impact of media
on bullying, youth violence, school performance,
obesity, and other child health and development
issues.
Please call the National Institute on Media
and the Family to be part of this important
campaign to build a healthy future for our
kids.
McKnight Foundation
Supports
MediaWise Initiative
MediaWise Network Update
With the
generous support of the McKnight Foundation,
the National Institute on Media and the
Family is pleased to announce three new
partnerships over the next two years.
The Institute will partner with Parents
In Community Action; the Greater Minneapolis
Day Care Association; and Fraser School
to directly reach up to 250 early childhood
providers and 200 families in Hennepin,
Dakota, Scott, and Carver counties. Over
time, we hope thousands of providers and
families will receive the information and
resources they need to make wise and informed
media choices.
The new partnerships follow the success
of a MediaWise training and education pilot
project the National Institute on Media
and the Family conducted with the La Creche
Early Learning Centers and Washburn Child
Guidance Center last year. Ninety percent
of all parents participating in the project
said they have changed what TV or videos
their children are allowed to see after
participating in the MediaWise training.
The National Institute on Media and the
Family is very grateful to the McKnight
Foundation for their support and looks forward
to replicating these partnerships in other
communities.
It's
easy now to make a difference and spread
the MediaWise message.
The MediaWise Network is off to a great
start with over 150 members! People across
the country are helping their families,
neighbors, coworkers and friends become
MediaWise by taking action and letting others
know about the impact of media on kids.
The latest way to spread the MediaWise message
is coming soon to the MediaWise Network
homepage. Starting this summer, the National
Institute on Media and the Family invites
you to host a MediaWise House Party in your
home. The
Institute will provide you a kit complete
with invitations, a powerful and short video
that shows the impact and scope of the media
issue, conversation ideas, and much more
to make it easy and fun to share the MediaWise
message with other concerned adults and
to brainstorm ways to help families and
communities be more MediaWise.
WHY
Do They Act hat Way?
Wins Minnesota Book Award
Dr. Walsh’s
national bestselling book, WHY
Do They Act That Way? A Survival
Guide to the Adolescent Brain for
You and Your Teen, won a
Minnesota Book Award for general
nonfiction from the Minnesota Humanities
Commission’s Minnesota Book
Awards on April 16, 2005, at the
Women’s Club of Minneapolis.
The
Minnesota Book Awards “recognizes,
honors, and celebrates the best
in Minnesota literature.” According
to the Minnesota Humanities Commission,
Minnesota Book Award finalists’
books represent what some call “the
best reading list in Minnesota.”
WHY Do They Act That Way?
was among the top five 2004
“Editors’ Picks”
for parenting and families on Amazon.com.
Now in its eighth printing, the
book has also appeared in the Star
Tribune’s nonfiction bestsellers
list.
WHY Do They Act That Way?
will be available in paperback in
early June.
Two
New Members of the
MediaWise Team
The National Institute
on Media and the Family is pleased
to announce the addition of two
new staff members, Heather Grun
and Laurie Wright.
Heather serves as the Institute’s
administrative assistant and provides
customer service support; maintains
databases and records; schedules
and coordinates meetings and events;
and performs other day-to-day office
operations.
A native of St. Paul, Heather received
her degree from Century College
and has over five years of administrative
experience. Outside of work, she
enjoys spending time outdoors.
Laurie Wright is the Institute’s
MediaWise project coordinator and
oversees project planning, implementation,
budget monitoring, and project reporting
for two early childhood grants awarded
by the Cargill Foundation and the
McKnight Foundation.
Prior to joining the Institute,
Laurie worked in children and family
services in Itasca and Koochiching
Counties. She also worked for Fairview
Health Services for more than 17
years.
Laurie received her degree from
the Carlson School of Management
at the University of Minnesota.
Media Myths with Douglas Gentile,
Ph.D.
Myth 4: Media violence cannot “cause”
real world violence because to cause something means
the cause is "necessary and sufficient".
The Truth: Most psychological issues are complex
and are the result of multiple causes. Each cause interacts
with another. They do not stand alone to cause a behavior
– alone they are usually not “necessary nor
sufficient.”
The Evidence: Many people believe that media
cannot cause attitude or behavioral changes because
they are not "necessary and sufficient." For
example, regarding media violence, it can be argued
that (1) because humans have always been violent, then
media violence is not necessary for violent behavior,
and (2) because many people who consume violent media
never commit violent behavior, then media violence is
not sufficient for violent behavior. However, it would
be incorrect to conclude that media violence is not
a cause of aggressive behavior.
Consider a rock on the side of a hill. Assume you give
it a push and it begins rolling down the hill - did
you cause it? Many factors interact to determine whether
the push you gave caused it to roll: the force of gravity,
the mass of the rock, the shape of the rock, the slope
of the hill, the force of the push, etc. All of these
interact to determine the outcome. What that means is
that all of them are causes.
With regard to aggressive behavior, there are many causes,
and media violence has been shown to increase the likelihood
of aggressive behavior. Therefore, it is a cause, even
if it alone is not a necessary or sufficient cause.
Summer
Safety Tips
With the end of another school year and
the beginning of summer vacation, the National Institute
on Media and the Family would, again, like to share
media summer safety tips.
TV Safety Tips:
Decide on TV time limits that
work for your family.
Make a schedule for summer media
use, write it down and post it near the TV set.
Turn off the TV during mealtimes.
Practice “appointment”
TV. Turn on the TV only when there is something
good that you have planned to watch.
Record and make a library of kid-friendly
TV shows and movies.
Avoid shows with violent or inappropriate
sexual themes.
Remove TVs from bedrooms. (A TV
in the bedroom is an unsupervised, private tutor.)
Use a V-chip.
Video Game Safety Tips:
Check video game ratings.
Know the content of the game.
Choose games with appropriate content for your child.
Avoid games with violent or inappropriate
sexual themes.
Set time limits for video game
playing.
Internet Safety Tips:
Set up kid-safe Internet controls
on your computer by either buying a special program
or using the parental controls from your Internet
service provider.
If your child uses e-mail, set
up his or her own log-in account. Set up controls
to eliminate spamming, including pornography.
Set limits and rules for Internet
use, including Instant Messaging.
Monitor Internet use. Have the
computer in a public space.
Review with your children safety
rules about giving out personal information.
Make sure your children talk to
you about anyone they have met on the Internet who
wants to meet them in person.
You can help us help families
Future research and outreach efforts would not be possible
without continued support.
The Institute accepts donations via mail, telephone, and
online:
EDITOR:
Monica Walsh
WRITING AND DESIGN:
New School Communications
National
Institute on Media and the
Family
606 24th Avenue South, Suite 606, Minneapolis,
MN 55454 Toll-free 888.672.5437
Fax 612.672.4113 Web site www.mediafamily.org
Individuals and organizations are encouraged
to print and distribute copies of this newsletter.
Please call for permission to republish any
of this material.
The Institute’s mission is to maximize
the benefits and minimize the harm of
media on children and families through research,
education, and advocacy.
Our
media culture is changing how kids learn.
Together we make sure it's for the better. Donate
Now!
It's
easy now to make a difference and spread
the MediaWise message. 
The
Institute will provide you a kit complete
with invitations, a powerful and short video
that shows the impact and scope of the media
issue, conversation ideas, and much more
to make it easy and fun to share the MediaWise
message with other concerned adults and
to brainstorm ways to help families and
communities be more MediaWise.
The
Minnesota Book Awards “recognizes,
honors, and celebrates the best
in Minnesota literature.” According
to the Minnesota Humanities Commission,
Minnesota Book Award finalists’
books represent what some call “the
best reading list in Minnesota.”
