MetroBeatTV’s Student Voices program on teen smoking has been awarded a Heartland Regional Emmy Award in Denver for the best youth/children program. The awards are given each year by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence in all the regional U.S. television markets. Student Voices is broadcast several times a week
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Public Support for Condom Instruction Strong; Support for Abstinence-Only Programs Low, New Survey Finds
Abstinence-only sex education programs – a favorite of the Bush administration but criticized by many health experts – are not supported by a large majority of the American public, regardless of their political or religious ideologies, a new survey has found. Eighty percent of those surveyed favored a sex education curriculum that includes information about
Kids and TV: Researchers Urge Parents to Cut Back – and Offer Help on Pulling the Plug
Although most parents agree that their kids should watch less television, they also aren’t certain how to pull the plug, according to a new study by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Legislative Issue Ads Analyzed in New Study
More than $400 million was spent on issue advertising targeted primarily to members of Congress or other federal policy-makers during the 108th Congress, according to a new study published in the fall issue of The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics. “Legislative Issue Advertising in the 108th Congress: Pluralism or Peril?” analyzed the nearly 68,000 ads
On Behalf of Journalism: A Manifesto for Change
“On Behalf of Journalism,” is a document of hope for a difficult time. To journalism’s many daunting challenges, it offers no easy cure, but a panorama of possibilities. To embrace opportunity, of course, one must believe in the future and be open to the unknown. These are not common attitudes among journalists today, for all
More Than 1 Million Young People Use Internet Gambling Sites Each Month
Rates of Online Gambling Among Males 18-22 Doubled Last Year Two days after Congress cracked down on online gambling, new data released today show that more than one million young people currently are using Internet gambling sites on a monthly basis. Among males 18 to 22, Internet gambling doubled in the past year. The new
Americans Trust Courts but also Believe them Biased, Surveys Find
Many Americans Lack Basic Understanding of the Judiciary Americans consistently rank the Supreme Court as the most trusted branch of government and hold a similar level of trust in state courts. But many also believe that the nation’s courts favor the wealthy and politically connected, that judges are motivated by political and personal biases, and
Online Contact by Strangers Common on Adolescent Social Networking Websites
About 40 percent of adolescents ages 14 to 22 who use social networking sites such as MySpace report that they had been contacted online by a stranger not known to them or their friends, according to a national survey released today. This rate is about twice as high (20 percent) as the reported contact among
Only 53%-58% of Americans Say President Must Follow a Supreme Court Ruling
Contrary to what they have been taught in civics books, over one-third of American adults thinks it is okay for the president to ignore a Supreme Court ruling if the president believes the ruling will prevent him from protecting the country against terrorist attacks, according to a recent APPC survey.
Annenberg Studies of Smokers Cited in Recent Tobacco Ruling
Annenberg Public Policy Center research on the smoking habits and risk perceptions of young people was cited in a federal court decision last week that concluded that cigarette makers had engaged in a half-century conspiracy to deceive the public about the dangers of smoking. That deception has resulted in “an immeasurable amount of human suffering,”