admin Trauma on the News: Should Children Watch?
News and melodrama interlock. I noticed that Emily displayed a gory, sensationalist glee when she talked of, repeatedly, the story…
Media Literacy and the ‘Big Tent’
When I noted in my keynote address at the 1996 National Media Literacy Conference in Los Angeles that the media…
Why Bother Watching?
When you think about it, watching TV is a really dumb thing to do. It’s dumb because there’s really no…
Thinking Critically about Media: Schools and Families in Partnership
This publication, Thinking Critically About Media: Schools and Families in Partnership, makes the case for teaching media literacy at school…
Alliance for a Media Literate America: Founding Declaration
Whereas the explosion of new communication technologies has made media literacy skills essential for life in the 21st century, and…
Addicted to Violence: Has the American Dream Become a Nightmare?
At a psychological level, the drama and titillation of violent scenarios serve to create a sense of excitement, potency and…
Does TV Shape Ethnic Images?
The landscape from Amos ‘n’ Andy to The Cosby Show is littered with ethnic shows and characters who have entertained…
FAMILY: ‘Tossed Salad’ Culture Honors Diversity
During the 1960s, I moved from Georgia to Maryland and then to Connecticut. All of a sudden I was a…
PASTORING: Stereotypes Back? It’s No Joke
“Have you heard the one about…?” Successful jokes depend on the irony and inconsistency that underlie humor. Recently, far too…
Hollywood’s Arab: Still Stuck in the Desert
For years moviegoers have been offered stereotypical images of the Arab. The stereotype provides myths and misperceptions which then to…