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{ Monday, June 21, 2004 }

8:53 PM | link

I'm going to see Fahrenheit 9/11 this weekend. Then on Monday, I'm going to a house party to talk about it. What about you?

{ Saturday, June 19, 2004 }

2:45 PM | link

Go out and see Control Room. You'll get an excellent view from inside Central Command and the Al Jazeera newsroom during the Iraq war.

If you've already seen the movie, you'll probably be disappointed to hear that one glimmer of hope in the movie, Lieutenant Josh Rushing, has been muzzled. I was impressed by how reasonable Lieutenant Rushing was, and he gave me hope that even though Americans might still believe in this war, at least they could understand why Arabs are so upset about it. But now he's not being allowed to share his story with the rest of America.

Here's part of one the few interviews he was able to give before he was silenced:

"I think it should all be shown, the dead on both sides," he says. "In America war isn't hell--we don't see blood, we don't see suffering. All we see is patriotism, and we support the troops. It's almost like war has some brand marketing here." Rushing says he will participate in some Q&A's for Noujaim's film. He was nervous at first, but is becoming less so.

"Al Jazeera shows it all," he concludes. "It turns your stomach, and you remember there's something wrong with war."

So I'm guessing those Q&A's aren't gonna happen after all.

{ Saturday, June 12, 2004 }

10:26 PM | link

Tonight I watched a movie called "Beyond Good and Evil: Children, Media & Violent Times" put out by the Media Education Foundation. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. So I've been doing a little research on various media literacy sites, and I pieced together the following content for a flyer that I'll be posting on bulletin boards at my workplace and in public places. Please feel free to copy it for your own use and distribute it as you see fit!

I also found this great media activism kit from FAIR. It steps through how to detect bias in news media, how to communicate with the media, how to hold a video house party, and more. Enjoy!

What Lessons Are Your Kids Learning from TV?
From the Action Coalition for Media Education, LimiTV, and the National Crime Prevention Council

Children today are bombarded with media messages from newspapers, books, magazines, billboards, television, movies, video and computer games, and music. All too often, these media deliver the message that violence is an acceptable way to deal with problems.

Of all the media, TV probably has the biggest impact on your children. The average child spends more time watching TV than any other activity besides sleeping.

Violence in TV shows, magazines, movies, songs, and computer and video games affects your children. Even cartoons and commercials average 25 violent acts per hour. Children as young as 14 months will imitate what they see people do on TV. Most children now choose media figures as their role models—a few decades ago, most chose their parents. Heroes who solve their problems with violence without any adverse effects are not good reality models.

You can help your children learn that violence is not the only way to resolve a conflict. But you'll need to teach your children to use TV wisely.
Make it a family rule that violence has no place in your home. Keep an eye on reading materials, TV and radio programs, and games your children play.

Do not allow violent video games in your home and explain why—that you do not believe a game whose objective is to kill or injure another person is a suitable form of entertainment, and that finding violence entertaining can damage our emotional development and desensitize us to the pain real violence actually causes.

Watch TV with your children. Be aware of what and how much they are watching. Avoid putting a TV in your children's rooms where you won't be able to keep an eye on what they're watching.

Limit your child's TV viewing to a small amount per day. Together, plan a weekly schedule of the programs you want to watch. Turn the TV off when the selected programs are over.

After you watch a program with your child, talk about what each of you liked and didn't like. Explain what is real and unreal, and make connections between consequences and actions. If in your discussion, you agree that the program had an unrealistic depiction of how you might resolve a conflict, have your child help you write a letter to the TV station to express your concerns.

Watch programs on tape so you can stop to discuss programs and fast-forward through commercials.

Make at least one room a TV-free zone—a comfortable place to read, talk, and listen, with no TV set.

Never use TV as a babysitter, as a reward, or as a punishment.

Encourage your children to participate in a wide range of activities, such as exercise and sports, crafts, reading, playing non-violent games, taking care of pets, writing letters to pen pals, creating imaginative games, or producing their own media—such as plays, movies, art, music, or writing. These sorts of activities nourish young brains and bodies! Plan some activities with your children. Set a good example by developing a variety of interests yourself.

Make sure your babysitter, daycare center, or other caregiver follows these guidelines when caring for your children.

Collaborate with teachers and other parents to support programming that features main characters who resolve conflict in mature, realistic ways. Write or call network and local TV stations, government regulatory agencies, advertisers, and policymakers to express your concerns.
Resources
Action Coalition for Media Education: http://www.acmecoalition.org/
LimiTV: http://www.limitv.org/
National Crime Prevention Council: http://www.mcgruff.org/
TV Turnoff Network: http://www.tvturnoff.org/

8:31 PM | link

Today, I ran across something Abraham Lincoln once said: "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

But I fear we're not getting the real facts. Last night, I saw Bill Moyers interview Associated Press CEO Tom Curley. Curley talked about how the government has become more secretive at all levels -- federal, state, local. AP chiefs of bureau all over the country have experienced this increased secrecy since September 11th. The government is fulfilling very few Freedom of Information requests. We own this democracy, but we're not allowed to know how it's being run.

First it starts with secrecy about what we're doing to "other" people in prisons halfway around the world. Soon we won't be able to find out how we're treating American citizens in prisons on American soil.

As Tom Curley put it, "This is about freedom. And it's something that doesn't happen overnight. Freedoms can go quietly. Step by step, carefully over time."

If we don't have the truth or the freedom to discover the truth, how can we deal with the next crisis that comes our way?