No. 246 September 08
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small screen News Digest of Australian Council on Children and the Media (trading as Young Media Australia) ISSN: 0817-8224 No. 246 September 2008 US “Mediatrician” in Australia entific research on the positive and nega- Children’s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medi- tive effects of media exposure, developing Dr. Michael Rich, Assistant Professor of cal School, and Harvard School of Public and evaluating media-based prevention Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Health. The Center is dedicated to un- strategies and intervention tools, and train- Assistant Professor of Society, Human De- derstanding and responding to the effects ing clinicians, educators, and researchers velopment and Health at Harvard School of of media on the physical, mental and so- to provide accurate, current information Public Health, will be in Aus- cial health of children, with which to teach children, adolescents, tralia, from 5-7 November, to through research, pro- and families how to achieve and maintain present papers at the Ado- duction and education. optimal health in the Media Age. lescent Health Conference It has an interdiscipli- in Melbourne. [see below] nary group of scientists, Dr Rich translates scientific and clinical clinicians, and educa- knowledge into guidance for children, par- Dr Rich’s current areas of tors that focuses on the ents, educators, and clinicians on Advisory health research and clini- influences of entertain- Boards of PBS Kids and Parents magazine, cal work bring together his ment and communica- the National Television Oversight Moni- experience and expertise in tions media. toring Board, and as a Senior Fellow of the medicine and media, mak- Fred M. Rogers Center for Early Learning ing him the world’s first Under his leadership, and Children’s Media. CMCH has collected “Mediatrician.” In this role, He has authored research papers examin- (from 13 disciplines), he uses scientific evidence ing the portrayals of interpersonal violence abstracted, and cata- about the powerful positive and substance use in music videos, and logued a comprehen- and negative effects of media chapters in key texts. He has been elected a sive library of research to advise children and those member of the prestigious Society for Pedi- on media effects, which who care for them on how atric Research, a Fellow of the Society for is accessible on the Web to use media in ways that Adolescent Medicine, and a Fellow of the by both professionals and families, pro- optimize their development. He came to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). duces an up-to-the-minute research blog, medicine after a twelve-year career as a He has authored practice policy for the and publishes a monthly e-newsletter to filmmaker (including serving as assistant AAP membership on media issues, includ- help parents translate the latest knowledge director to Akira Kurosawa on Kagemusha). ing policy statements on media violence into good parenting. He established CMCH and a well-publicized 1999 AAP policy as the first US interdisciplinary centre of Dr Rich founded and directs the Center on statement on media education as a public excellence, conducting and collecting sci- Media and Child Health (CMCH), at health intervention. Have your say! Dr Rich has been honored with the Ameri- can Academy of Pediatrics’ Holroyd-Sherry Don’t miss your chance to respond to four inquiries into food advertising and its Award for “outstanding contributions that effects on children. have demonstrated that media’s influence on child and adolescent health is an impor- The four October deadlines for submissions are: tant public health issue.” * Oct 17: the Australian Communications and Media Authority receives comment on its draft proposals for the Children’s TV Standards including ads to children within C Adolescent Health programs. * STOP PRESS NEW DATE : OCT 31* http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311363 Conference 2008 * Oct 24: the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs receives comment on My space, your space, the Protecting children from junk food advertising (Broadcasting Amendment) Bill 2008. our space: exploring the http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/protecting_children_junk_food_ future of adolescent advert/index.htm health together * Oct 31: the SA govt is calling for comment on its consultation paper Television advertising and the consumption of unhealthy food and drinks by children. November 3-8 http://www.health.sa.gov.au/pehs/health-promotion.htm Melbourne * Oct 31: the Qld Govt is calling for responses to its online survey on junk food http://www.adolescenthealth08. advertising on children’s television. http://www.health.qld.gov.au/publications/corporate/junk_food.asp com/welcome.php HAVE YOUR SAY! MICHAEL RICH IN AUSTRALIA BEAUTY AT ANY COST SAME PRODUCT, INTRO & INTERVIEW DIFFERENT MESSAGES ACMA REPORTS BREACHES small screen September 2008 p2 EDITORIAL Why a Center on Media and Child Health? unique visitors in 2008, and our usership is Barbara Biggins interviews Michael Rich: consistently growing as awareness rises. We have no. 246 September 2008 become the “go to” place in the United States BB: Why did you set up the Center ? for clinicians, teachers, policymakers and the small screen MR: I founded the Center on Media and Child press in a relatively short period of time. Please Editor: Barbara Biggins OAM Health (CMCH) in 2002 in response to a strong encourage your colleagues and your readers to Compiler: Caroline Donald need for a credible, unbiased source of factual use these resources. By sharing knowledge, we Editorial Board: Barbara Biggins, data and reliable strategies for raising healthy become agents of change. Perhaps you and your Jane Roberts, Judy Bundy, and happy children in a media-saturated world. readers could help by offering us your frank Elizabeth Handsley. Parents, teachers, and physicians have been opinions on www.cmch.tv . small screen is published at the concerned about the effects of television, movies, BB: Who funds you and why? beginning of each month and music, video games, cell phones, and the Internet MR: The short answer is everybody who cares reports on the events of the on children and youth, but frustrated by the lack about this issue and our work. We accept previous month 11 issues per of dependable information and realistic strategies support from anyone, so long as there are no year (Dec/Jan double issue) for helping kids live with media. Published by conditions on or strings attached to the work I developed the Center as a reliable we do. At the same time we insist on openly Young Media Australia resource for all stakeholders to understand offering our information and tools to everyone, PO Box 447 how we are affected by media, positively and regardless of their ability to pay. We believe Glenelg 5045 negatively. My hope is that we can create a South Australia that, if we are doing work that is helping kids bedrock of scientific knowledge on which we can [email protected] and their families negotiate an increasingly pitch a “big tent” where media producers, parents, www.youngmedia.org.au complex electronic environment, those that and child health and development professionals Tel: +61 8 8376 2111 have the means will support and sustain us. Fax: +61 8 8376 2122 can come together without blame or shame, Helpline: 1800 700 357 examine what we know and don’t know, and can BB: Where do you see the Center’s future? YMA is a national, non-profit apply all of our diverse talents toward creating MR: I’d like to see the Center become sustainable community organisation. the kind of media environment that will allow into the foreseeable future, so I can do this Its mission is to promote a children to grow up healthy, happy, and safe. important work, rather than spending so much quality media environment for time writing grants and raising the resources to BB: What are your goals in directing the Center? Australian children. support the work. To that end and as a means MR: I would like the Center to facilitate the of establishing academic credibility for media No part of this publication building of knowledge and development of tools and child health/development as a discipline, we may be reproduced without to create and use media in healthy ways, so that permission of the Editor. are currently seeking to establish an endowed it becomes a critical node in a network of all who academic chair in media and child health at Contributions are welcome. work with media and/or young people. We have Harvard. I am writing a book on parenting in the developed a truly interdisciplinary group of Media Age, sort of an owner’s manual for your researchers who work together as a horizontally 21st Century child, and the Center is developing structured unit that challenges and critiques each Young Media Australia’s a host of supporting material. other in an atmosphere of mutual respect. services are supported I would like the Center to serve as a Our database of scientific research by donations and a grant catalyst for reframing the media discourse from studies www.cmch.tv can be searched either from the one of opposing social values to one of public through traditional author-keyword methods health. If we can realize how profoundly media or through a unique natural language search The South Australian can hurt or help the physical, mental, and social engine, Smart Search, that allows anyone to Attorney General’s health of a child, perhaps we can work together query the database with questions like “Can Department to address what I see as the most powerful and watching television help my child learn to read?” pervasive environmental influence on the well- or “Will playing video games make my son being of our youth and of our shared future.