National Indigenous TV for Literacy by jennifer

For the kids, it’s fun, but children’s program Waabiny Time (or “playing time”) has a serious intent: Saving one of Australia’s endangered indigenous languages. The series, airing on National Indigenous TV, is built around the Noongar language, a group of about 13 dialects once widely spoken in the southwest corner of Western Australia, between Moora in the wheatbelt and Esperance on the coast. Today, only about five of the dialects are still considered strong. Every show has segments including Sand Yarning (story time) and Our Mob (about Noongar culture), and features original songs, animation, craft and excursions into Noongar country, classrooms and family gatherings (Jakcson, 2010).

The use of television in this context manifests its positive effect on children’s literacy. A literacy that  goes beyond school-based literacy and is a proof that visual literacy or literacy can be represented in a variety of forms. Marsh and Millard (2004) indicate that the use of video, television and film texts both as part of intertextual frame in which the advancement of conventional reading is supported and as  a vital way of making meaning in their own right.

Moreover, Wiseman (2003, p. 808) argues that recognizing the social nature of literacy is important, even from the beginning of a child schooling experience. Considering the effect of social interaction in a language arts classroom illuminates the complexity of literacy and learning. When students experience stories, they are both receivers and transmitters of literacy. Illuminating the social nature of life merges their own knowledge, the expectations of schooling, and the influence of society.

The experiences of the children in terms of literacies begin in earliest childhood and carried on throughout life. As their lives progress, the range of literacies that are entrenched in their everyday lives are becoming more diverse because of the ever-widening social contexts they encountered. As teachers, we have to recognize this diversity of literacy experiences among young children because early childhood educational practices have a considerable impact on the direction of children’s literacy pathways. (Makin, Diaz, & McLachlan, 2007, p. 90).

REFERENCES:

Jackson, S. (2010). Indigenous language finds life through children’s TV. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/indigenous-language-finds-life-through-childrens-tv/story-e6frg996-1225864247897

Makin, L., Diaz, C.J., & McLachlan, C. (2007). Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice 2^nd Edition. NSW, Australia: ELSEVIER.

Marsh, J. & Millard, E. (2004). Chapter 13: Television and film. [Electronic format] In T.Grainger (Ed.), The Routledge-Falmer reader in language and literacy (pp. 217-235). London: Routledge-Falmer. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database.

Wiseman, A.M. (2003). Collaboration, initiation, and rejection: The social construction of stories. The Reading Teacher, 56 (8), 802-810). Retrieved October 15, 2010 from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database.

SPARK OF INSANITY: IS IT WORTH THE LAUGHTER? by jennifer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhVpoRaTdj0

This youtube video clip shows Jeff Dunham, an international acclaimed ventriloquist. The boogle-eyed skeleton named ACHMED THE DEAD TERRORIST is being introduced by Jeff as his comedic sidekick. The storyline tells that Achmed sets the world on fire, he sets himself on fire, then he accidentally blew himself on fire, then he accidentally blew himself up. And within no time, Achmed became the world’s only beloved dead terrorist.

Using profane language and terrorist’s language is wrong and racist. Disguising racism as humour is simply wrong. When Jeff said, “God damn it!.....Oh, no......Allah, damn it!!! Is simply blasphemous. It can offend both Christians and Muslim believers. Moreover, the implication of using the theme about terrorism and killing became not a people’s bugbear anymore because it became a laughing stuff. The terror caused by actual acts of terrorism has been erased from one’s minds. The audience are laughing at a very big topic on terrorism where in fact, terrorism has caused so much miseries in reality. If a racist humour is played in a small circle of friends, maybe it’s acceptable,  but when it is in front of a big crowd, it is not acceptable. Yes, there’s a spark of insanity...People laugh....but is it worth laughing at?

Racism is a sensitive matter and using humour through the media to provoke racist discourse is inexcusably shameful. Humour is a social undertaking that reflects shared representations of our social schema. Communicating racist humour through the media poses severe implications on inter-racial relationships that can harm individuals and communities from both ends (Estacio, 2009).

 Lockyer and Pickering (as cited in Estacio, 2009, p. 629) emphasize that humour is far from trivial—it is integral to social relationships and social interaction. It may be taken in certain contexts as light-hearted banter, but in other contexts, it can injure people’s social standing, or cut deeply into relationships and interaction between people within and across different social groups…humour is not set dramatically in opposition to seriousness, not least because it can have serious implications and repercussions.

REFERENCES:

Dunham, Jeff (Ventriloquist) (2008. Spark of Insanity [streaming video recording]. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhVpoRaTdj0

Estacio, E.V. (2009). Human exploitation is not a joke – so don’t laugh! Journal of Health Psychology, 14 (5), 627-637. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from SAGE Database.

INTOXICATING TUBE by jennifer

Tube that intoxicates.....corrupts...and contributes to erosion of childhood. The intoxication of this tube or television starts from the sexy images of these little girls. Before, little girls are compared to sweeteners and herbs from the kitchen pantry. Nowadays, girls and ladies are associated to sexiness. Sexiness can be seen from the marketing of the dolls and other forms of advertisements. Sexualised images of children are also evident. Is this not degrading the value and dignity of our young children? Children are supposedly to be associated with innocence. Innocence that should not be corrupted. However, today’s films and television, evidently show that they have corrupted our children’s minds (Brooks, 2008, p. 1)

Brooks (2008, p. 2) continues that the word “sugar and spice stereotype” has carried so much baggage – implying something inoffensive and benign, depending on which toy or character they’re aligned with, they bear connotations of forbidden desires, sexiness and paedophilia, or stereotyped notions of passivity and feminity. To whom shall we put the blame on? The television/film or the parents. Since children are still vulnerable and innocent, and very eager to watch film and television, parents should perform their major responsibility in educating and controlling their children in term of watching films and television programs if they don’t want their childrens’ minds intoxicated and corrupted.

Brooks (2008, p. 3) argues that popular culture such as TV shows, music, films, books, internet sites, fashions, toys and advertisements is having a toxic effect on our kids that it’s pilfering their childhoods. The purity of children’s minds have been intoxicated either through sexually-motivated scenes/images and other violent actions. Accept it or not, reality bites but children apply stereotyping after they have watched those scenes/images from the films and television programs. The long number of hours they spent in front of the television has been very influential in  major changes of the children’s way of thinking, behaviour, values, attitudes. Considerably, we can blame the corporate conspiracy that has lured our children inside and make them sexy, savvy before their time, and ultimately tortured and dysfunctional. This is because if only there are no companies advertising all these things on sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, people and children will not be tempted to watch films and television programs.The intoxication done by the films and television is pervasive and is long-term..It starts from the first day the a child watched a film/TV program and the effect is lifetime. Perhaps we haven’t noticed it, but its really happening.

Instead of putting all the blame to the corporate conspiracy, how about the parents. Parents are supposed to be the model to their children. Support and guide their children in any way. Educate the children. Nurture this young generation, for they are the hope of the nation. But what happen, most of the times, children are left to the nannies and babysitters. These babysitters in some cases, are the television. It’s quiet striking to know that many parents used the TV as a babysitter ( Dorey et al., 2010, p. 415). TV viewing was described as being particularly useful for keeping the children occupied when parents needed to get household chores, such as cooking and cleaning, done.

Since corporations and parents are part of the society where the children live, a unified effort amongst all members of the society is very fundamental. It’s now or never. Why wait for another day if we can make a difference in the present time. If we value the young generation / the children, we should not allow that films and television programs will continue to intoxicate their minds, corrupt their innocence, and the worst to happen is the erosion of their childhood (Brooks, 2008, p. 4)

Parents don’t want erosion of childhood, but unknowingly, they contributed to such circumstance. Parents attempt to halt their children’s growing up process to maturation. Parents become nervous whenever their kids want to adjust their appearance (Brooks, 2008, p. 4). They fear that whatever happens to their children, whatever changes have occurred to their children’s appearance and attitudes is a boomerang to them as parents. Parents need to be broad-minded and should realize to have a reality check that growing up process is unstoppable. What parents can do is to slower its pace rather than putting into halt. No lamentation over the maturing of our kids (Brooks, 2008,p. 5). Parents should avoid comparing their generation from what this young generation is enjoying today for this is a big difference in both worlds.

Differences of two generations are distinct. Parents generation can be considered as “ digital immigrants” while the young generation is “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001). An example of this is the children are born into a world that has TV and all other digital gadgets like CDs, DVDs, computers, mobile phones, the internet, and the world  wide web, and cyberspace. The old generation is not privileged to enjoy the luxury of digital technology. Unlike with young generation, in a split of a second,  information or data needed can be easily accessed because of the digital gadgets. This makes the older generation lagging behind and more than a little worried (Brooks, 2008, p. 6). These modern technology and advanced digital gadgets and instruments transformed our children into cybertots and computeens. The young generation lives in a mediated world where media and entertainment play a role in the house. Parents misconceptions about the use of film and television add up to the fears that they are being emotionally and psychologically damaged and missing out on childhood. Parents should not take film and television and other forms of popular culture for granted. Exposure of children to myriad of popular culture through the guidance of the parents can be very beneficial. It is because children learn from their experiences with using digital technology. They learn faster for children are like sponges that they absorb every bit of information.

REFERENCES:

Brooks, K. (2008). Introduction: The toxic truth about our tot, tweens and teens. [Electronic format] In K. Brooks, Consuming Innocence: Popular Culture and Our Children (1-10). St. Lucia, Qld Australia: UQP. Retrieved October 15, 2010, from Queensland Universtiy of Technology Course Materials Database.

Dorey,E., Roberts, V., Maddison, R., Meagher-Lundberg, P.,Dixon, R. & Ni Mhurchu, C. (2009). Child: Care, Health and Development, 36 (3), 414-420. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from ProQuest Database.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Retrieved October 15, 2010, fromhttp://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf

THINGS THAT I'LL SIGNIFICANTLY DO IN MY OWN PRACTICE by jennifer

In my desire to improve literacy in my workplace I must be an innovative educator. As an early childhood educator in the 21^st century, I should implement approaches that will cater multimodal literacies. Literacy pedagogy must now account for the rapidly increasing fusion of text forms embedded in children’s lives by creating new opportunities for learners to communicate using multiple modes of representation in a variety of social contexts (Kendrick & McKay, 2004, p. 110). Kress and Jewitt  assert that the inception of multimodal approach to learning is the theoretical perspective that gives equal significance to all modes of meaning making (as cited in Kendrick and McKay, 2004, p. 110).

Makin, Diaz, & McLachlan (2007, p. 91) assert that literacies are multimodal. Children’s literacies can be categorized through the different modes of communication as they manifest diverse ways of making meaning within social contexts. Harste & Albers (2007, p. 4) maintain that while all communication is multimodal, “multimodality” is not what is important. Rather, what is important is what each mode contributes to the overall meaning. Although adding a visual text is an important move in our teaching practices, it is argued that multimodality is more than merely adding another mode to the written word. Multimodality helps us realize the significance that each mode affords us in expressing meaning in ways the others cannot. Movement across and understanding of the affordance of modalities allows us to transcend our very selves by generating new ideas and is the essence of what literacy – and the power of being literate – is all about.

I believe that using film and television improves literacy. According to Marsh and Millard (2004) television and film can be incorporated in the classroom in order to develop a range of literacy skills. However, there are some issues that arose with regard to the children’s television consumption. First is the issue on displacement. Children displaced themselves from interaction with other media which proffer comparable experiences and that children stopped reading because of too much attention given to television (Neuman as cited in Marsh and Millard, 2004, p. 217-218). Other issues are related to television addiction and violence. However, it was not empirically proven to be true. Contrastingly, Marsh and Millard (2004) indicate that the use of video, television and film texts both as part of intertextual frame in which the advancement of conventional reading is supported and as an a vital way of making meaning in their own right. As a teacher, children must be advocated in developing their understanding on how to use the television, film and video in promoting literacy.

            Moreover, Callow (1999) emphasizes that multimodal texts such as television, film, radio, advertising, billboards, the internet, computer games and programs, art works are not new in the educational realm. The issue is on the challenge for us  educators and viewers how we can support our students how these images function and are constructed (p.2).  The concept of literacy goes beyond the ability to read and write that literacy is an act of communicating in our culture; while reading/viewing is not only reading written and visual texts but integrating life experiences and background knowledge to what is read and viewed.

As early childhood educator, it is imperative that visual and multimodal texts must be given importance in an early childhood setting. The tasks begin by recognizing the literacy practices learned by the children at home, linked to the literacy practices provided within the educational institutions. Makin, Diaz and McLachlan (2007, p. 100) maintain that achieving continuity between home and centre/school practices is a main duty of early childhood educators. Considering that education is a joint venture between parents and teachers, the children’s home and community practices can be utilized by building genuine partnership with the children’s families and by constructing authentic connection with children through observing, listening, and recording their actions and speech in everyday experiences.

            Additionally, teachers can make use of the children’s language, practices and materials in providing literacy experiences in the form of multimodal. Makin, Diaz, and McLachlan (2007, p. 101) emphasize that multimodal literacy practices obtainable by children from their homes, communities and popular culture once duly recognized and regularly used by the teachers can enhance and broaden the possibilities for literacy teaching.

            Furthermore, teachers can explore diversity in relation to children’s practices across different settings (Harris, Turbill, Fitzsimmons and McKenzie (2001, p. 89). It is important that teachers adjust to and construct upon readers’ prior knowledge and intertextual histories which they bring to texts (p. 104). In addition, teachers have to inculcate in their minds that the different ways of making meaning which are valued and foregrounded vary across different socio-cultural contexts.

            Finally, based on the studies of Heath, Minns, Reid (as cited in Harris, Turbill, Fitzsimmons and McKenzie, 2001, p. 105-106), early childhood educators must identify the different and varied ways of making meaning from texts which children bring to school; connection of experience and authentication of children’s histories need to be built by teachers on the children’s diverse practices; wide range of home and community literacy practices must be included by the teachers in their classroom repertoire; and teachers need to precisely acquaint children to multimodal literacy practices which are vital to success in school.

           
                                                                                                                      

REFERENCES:

Callow, J. (1999). Reading the visual: An introduction. [Electronic format] In J. Callow (Ed.), Image matters  (pp. 1-13). Newtown, NSW: PETA. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database.

Harris, P., Turbill, J., Fitzsimmons, P., & McKenzie, B. (2001). Reading in the primary school years. Katoomba, NSW, Australia: Social Science Press.

Harste, J. C. & Albers, P. (2007). Themed issue on the arts, new literacies, and multimodality. English Education, 40 (1), 3-5. Retrieved October 13, 2010 from ProQuest Database.

Kendrick, M. & McKay, R. (2004). Drawings as an alternative way of understanding young children’s constructions of literacy. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 4 (1), 109-128. Retrieved October 13, 2010 from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database. Makin, L., Diaz, C.J., & McLachlan, C. (2007). Literacies in childhood: Changing views, challenging practice 2^nd Edition. NSW, Australia: ELSEVIER.

Marsh, J. & Millard, E. (2004). Chapter 13: Television and film. [Electronic format] In T. Grainger (Ed.), The Routledge-Falmer reader in language and literacy (pp. 217-235). London: Routledge-Falmer. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from Queensland University of Technology Course Materials Database.

My Response:

How I will do things differently or creatively in my role as Teacher Librarian.

To look is one thing,
To see what you look at is another,
To understand what you see is a third,
To learn from what you understand is still something else:
To act on what you learn is all that matters.
-- Taoist saying


In today’s world, there is no escaping media. It is not only in our homes, schools and theatres, but for our youth it is now ever present in their palms and pockets. If it is true that youth reflect the character and conduct of our society then we, the educators, must accept that media and in particular, Film and Television is an enormous authority within this realm. We have an opportunity to educate students to understand not only the surface content of media messages found within films  and television shows but also the deeper and often more important meanings beneath the surface. Therefore I believe it is part of my job to guide our youth along the path of good moral conduct and decision making by incorporating media literacy into the curriculum. In doing so, it would be hoped that it will empower today's youth and, as Plato suggested, it will lead children away from images which lead to ignorance and toward that which leads to knowledge.  Becoming media literate in today’s world will hopefully help today’s youth to combat and deal successfully with the ever increasing ‘media panic’ that surrounds so much of the release of  new media and technologies, especially TV shows and movies. It will help them to use the media to their own advantage and for their entertainment and not be taken advantage of by the media.

Most students,  no matter how young,  bring to the classroom an enormous amount of information about,  and experience with the media.  While it is important for me to start where my students are, it is also necessary for me to lead them to where they are not.

Because my students are immersed in media, my role as teacher-librarian must be that of a facilitator and a co-learner.  I will endeavour to continue to help students negotiate meaning, engage in inquiry learning and research, identify patterns, and create their own media productions, through online resources.

I have been guilty in the past of knee jerk responses when it comes to online and social networking sites. Without truly investigating and educating myself of the positive aspects of some sites such as Moshie Monsters, I have ‘banned’ them. This was mainly due to ‘panic’ by parents and I complied.

After substantial interaction with readings, tutorials and websites through this course, I will endeavour to investigate and teach the necessary skills for analysing and critically engaging with media in all forms.

It is a wonderful time to be a Teacher Librarian. Major developments in our information and communication landscapes present new opportunities for us to teach and lead in areas that were always considered part of our role. We also get to help learners of all ages effectively use, manage, evaluate, organize and communicate information, and to love reading in its glorious new variety. 

When I look at the Standards of Professional Excellence for Teacher Librarians according to ASLA (Australian School Library Association), they certainly advocate the need for media literacy . With this as my framework, my focus will definitely be on teaching the information rich skills of inquiry, critical thinking, digital citizenship, creative communication, collaboration, and  social networking.

Television and film have become the storytellers of our generation; these stories tell us about who we are, what we believe, and what we want to be. The purpose of teaching media literacy skills is to empower young people to understand these media stories so that they can be in control of this important aspect of their own lives.

Although Cybersafety education will be a priority within the teaching of media literacy, it will be about engaging the learner and motivating them to analyse media and use it at their developmental level and in the appropriate way.

A  PowerPoint workshop, from the Media Awareness Network website, provides an overview of what media education is and offers strategies for implementing media education into the classroom. Although Canadian based, I found it a very valuable resource in understanding the key concepts and framework to use when teaching media literacy and deconstructing media concepts across the grades.  

Some key points that I found useful were:

·          Media literacy is the process of becoming active, rather than passive consumers of media

·          Media literacy works toward deconstructing media products. It takes those   products apart to show how they are made and explores the decisions and  determining factors behind them.

·          Familiarize yourself with youth media, visit the environments kids like.

·          Media education includes the following:

4 learning hands-on online production techniques;

4 recognizing how the various elements of a specific medium convey meaning;   

           4 thinking critically about media issues and media influences

With these key factors in mind and armed with the knowledge from this course, it is hoped that I can become a teacher librarian who ensures that students and teachers can effectively and positively interact with information and use it to create and share and make a difference in the community and beyond.

REFERENCES:

Australian Schools Library Association. (2002). Standards for Teacher Librarians. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from ASLA: http://www.asla.org.au/policy/standards.htm

Media Awareness Network. (2006). Media Education Powerpoint. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from http://www.edselect.com

Diabetes: A Risk for a Nation of TeleTubbies??

http://www.news.com.au/national/diabetes-risk-for-nation-of-telly-tubbies/story-e6frfkvr-1225890032457



 

 “Rational concern is one thing.....blind fear and unthinking prejudice is another” (Lumby and Fine 2006)

Unfortunately in this news article, it is the latter which dominates the debate once again about TV viewing and teenagers.  The fear this time is centred  around a well known obesity related disease: Diabetes.  By this reference and with the use of particular words and phrases this article sets out to escalate this fear into a ‘moral panic’.

A moral panic was a term first thought to be coined by sociologist, Stanley Cohen,  in the 1960s, when describing a  ‘kind of media generated hysteria about youth out of control” (Lumby and Fine, 2006)  What Cohen noted was that with sensationalised media coverage, a topic can easily be significantly distorted.

In this article, Neil Keene, sets out to sensationalise this topic in a number of ways, designed to amplify the findings and alarm the public. Firstly, he refers to the risk as being ‘nation-wide’, immediately concerning all of us.  Then by adding teenagers, TV, computers, Xbox and Diabetes (a disease well known to be linked to obesity) into the mix he has created a true recipe for a moral or media panic.

Keene has used highly emotive words such as “deadly”, “alarming” “glued to” and “horrified” all intended to persuade the reader of the distressing nature of this report.

He has not included any noteworthy studies or research but simply reports statistical findings which support his debate.

However, Keene has neglected to draw attention to the fact that it is sedentary activity and poor diet that lead to the increased susceptibility of developing Type 2 Diabetes.  America’s Kaiser Family Foundation in their  2004 Report  “The Role of media in Childhood Obesity” discovered that there was very weak evidence to link TV watching with being overweight or obese and hence predisposed or susceptible to Diabetes.  Socioeconomic factors, and the diet of parents were also found to be contributors to obesity.

The boys surveyed could just have easily been replacing TV watching or playing computer games with other sedentary activities such as reading, playing board games or chess and have had the same results.

I myself have two teenage sons and whilst they indulge in their fair share of Xbox, Television viewing, and Facebooking, I do not feel panicked about the likelihood of them developing Diabetes from this.

It is highly more probable that they will be susceptible from genetic predisposition (their father and grandfather both unfortunately have Type 2 Diabetes), and hence attention to healthy diet would be more in order.  TV and Xbox are a form of relaxation for these busy boys who fill up their time, with school, sport, extra curricular activities, such as drama and music and part time jobs.  

Lumby and Fine (2006) suggest that moral panics are a danger because they distract from the real issues and hence real solutions.  By suggesting that Diabetes or susceptibility to it will be the result of too much TV or computer playing is actually diverting attention away from a healthy lifestyle of balanced exercise and eating that should be being promoted.

REFERENCES:

Catharine Lumby and Duncan Fine. (2006). TV Villians: Media Panic. In C. L. Fine, Why TV is Good for our Children: Bringing up 21st Century Children (pp. 55 -96).

Cohen, S. (1972). Folk Devils and Moral Panics. London: Macgibbon and Kee.

Foundation, H. J. (2004, February). The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from Kaiser Family Foundation: www.kff.org/entmedia/.../The-Role-Of-Media-in-Childhood-Obesity.pdf

Keene, N. (2010, July 10). Diabetes risk for nation of telly tubbies. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from News.com.au : From all Angles: http://www.news.com.au/national/diabetes-risk-for-nation-of-telly-tubbies/story-e6frfkvr-1225890032457

Has the Media Grown Up?

Outspoken, opinionated and never lost for words, Mark Kermode is the UK's leading film critic.  In his twice-weekly video blog he airs his personal views on the things that most fire him up about cinema and media  - and invites you to give your opinions.
In this particular clip, Kermode is reporting on media coverage of a recent court proceedings. The case involved a murder of a 17 year old youth whose death, the media accounted, was ‘inspired’ by a recent British horror film. The boy’s tragic death had been linked to this movie because the circumstances in which he had died bore similarities to a murder scene from the spoof horror film “Severance”. Phrases and words such a ‘gruesome re-creation’ and ‘ the idea for the murder came from...’ surfaced almost immediately the story broke in the press. Kermode smelled a media or moral panic on the horizon.
However, what Mark Kermode discovers is that a media panic did not ensue. He finds this quite interesting, especially given Britain’s past history with the so called ‘video nasties’ of the early 1990s. It has become, he says,  “ a tradition in the British press to blame horror movies for violent crimes....which has often led to increased censorship” (Kermode 2007) In fact in the case of the tragic death of toddler, James Bulger in 1993,  linked by the media to the horror movie, ‘Child’s Play 3”, Kermode tells us that the public outrage was so great it caused an amendment to the Criminal Justice Act that impacted heavily on movie censorship in the mid 1990s.
The lack of media panic about this tragic case is encouraging. Kermode suggests that possibly the media have grown up. Deciding that instead of  blaming this “genuinely hideous crime” on a horror movie they will treat this case on its merits. Perhaps, the media have decided to not exaggerate and distort the facts. Instead, the sideshow that is the panic surrounding the link to the film has subsided for now.  
Maybe the media is becoming more aware of the dangers they pose by heightening public concern. Perhaps the real story behind tragic crimes, and events of youth culture will be investigated more appropriately and accurately, without attention being diverted by these panics. As Henry Jenkins tells us  (Media Violence Debates, 2010)
"Media images may have given the perpetrators symbols to express their rage and frustration, but the media did not create the rage or generate their alienation. What sparked the violence was not something they saw on the internet or on television, not some song lyric or some sequence from a movie, but things that really happened to them... If we want to do something about the problem, we are better off focusing our attention on negative social experiences and not the symbols we use to talk about those experiences."


REFERENCES:

Kermode, M. (2007). Kermode Uncut: Video Nasties. Retrieved October 12, 2010, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsZDhqTyQgw&feature=related accessed 12 October 2010

Media Violence Debates. (2010). Retrieved October 12, 2010, from Media Awareness Network: http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/violence_debates.cfm

"There's Trouble Right Here in River City"

In this YouTube video clip from the musical “The Music Man” , Robert Preston’s character, a con man, wants to distract the townsfolk’s attention away from the new pool hall in town and towards his money making scheme of pretending to organise a boys band and  then absconding with the money from instrument and uniform purchases.  He creates a ‘moral panic’ in the town and particularly amongst the parents by suggesting that the pool hall is the single cause of their children’s worrying and delinquent behaviours, and hence the need to introduce a ‘wholesome’ pastime, such as a youth orchestra.

Moral Panics have been described as a “condition, episode, person or group of persons, which emerge to become a defined threat to societal values “(Cohen 1972). By observing the YouTube clip above, it can be seen that a moral panic is not a new phenomonen and generally the concern for the panic is directed at the youth.  The behaviour of youth is often seen as immoral, and threatening to the accepted norms of the culture. 
The term, first thought to be coined by sociologist Stanley Cohen in the 1960s, was used to describe “the kind of media hysteria  generalised about young people out of control” during the Brighton riots between the Mods and the Rockers”(Cohen in Fine 2006) He went further to suggest that the public reaction to the riots quickly escalated due to sensationalist media coverage and therefore led to bad policy and laws being made.

Catharine Lumby and Duncan Fine in their book,  “Why TV is good for our Kids: Raising 21^st Century Children, describe moral panic or media panic as a phenomonen which “feeds off blind fear and unthinking prejudice” and claim that it is the latter which often governs debates about what and how much children are watching on Television.

Moral or media panics have traditionally appeared around new media technologies and within popular culture. Comic books in the 1930s, Rock and Roll music in the fifties, and even novels, back in the 1700s, were all once the subject of grave concern.

Lumby and Fine are quick to point out that moral or media panic is not equivalent to real life moral situations or dilemnas. They are more about “hyperbolic  fears”. The problem, as they see it, is that “moral or media panics distract from the real issues of society by suggesting that drug, violence, obesity, and child abuse, for examples, are the result of a single monolithic cause such as TV, rap music or Muslims (Fine 2006 )

Lusted (1991) concurs.  He states that “the issue of TV violence reflects the broader concern of the nature of society and that the underlying causes of many moral panics have little, if anything, to do with the subject or event with which they focus their concern.”

Take for instance the tragic story of little James Bulger. This little two year old toddler was taken and murdered by two juveniles. The case was related to a violent film “Child’s Play 3” which the two offenders had previously watched.  Now although children had, in the past,  been murdered by other children, the tragic death of James Bulger provoked a  huge reaction from the British public. The story, largely due to its portrayal in the media, led to the belief that all children were in danger from each other and that certain films could produce child murderers.  The dangers posed by moral panics are continuously exaggerated and distorted by the media with the result that public concern is heightened. They often present reasons and scapegoats for the occurrence of certain events in order to divert attention from more real and greater problems found within society.

In Chapter 2 of their book entitled “ TV Villains: Media Panic”, Lumby and Fine challenge two claims made about television and that is,  put simply, that watching TV makes our kids stupid and fat . They address these claims by explaining what best research tells us.

In 1998, the Teletubbies came under attack. The program was accused from everything from gay lifestyle and illicit drug taking to consumerism and obesity. (Howard and Roberts 1999).   The media panic that surrounded this program was very explicit, with media stories using ‘ addictive’ language such as  kids “glued” to the screen or ‘addicted to watching the show’.  The misplaced fear of little children actually enjoying a television program  extended to Sesame Street, with a moral panic arising about them turning into drug addicts or homosexuals. Although Sesame Street and Teletubbies were both made to appeal to and educate very young children and with a lot of contribution by Early Childhood educators and experts, the general concensus  for parents was  anything that interesting coming at their children from a TV must be dangerous (Lumby and Fine, 2006)

Guilt will always fuel a moral or media panic. Lumby and Fine discuss the guilt trip parents experience for letting their children watch television and describe a US study that  suggested that television viewing would actually increase the likelihood of developing attention deficit disorder. The study also linked the idea that TV has some sort of hypnotic quality designed to empty children’s minds and make them passive recipients. (Fine 2006). 
The study, published in a pediatric journal in America, treated television as an ‘intruder’ in our lives, rather than a routine part of it. It assumed that television was a virus and something that was overstimulating and to be viewed suspiciously. At the heart of the study was the idea that television watching is passive and that’s where the opposition and hence panic begins.

Lumby and Fine respond by citing careful research into children’s television watching. One such researcher, an academic theorist, Professor David Buckingham reports that his studies, over the past two decades, show that even very young children actively engage with TV programs and use them to create their own stories. (Fine 2006 ) Similarly, Professor John Hartley, a renowned television studies scholar, further pointed out that doctors, and specialists that report in these studies are used to working with physically and mentally unwell people and would find it difficult to “ take off their worrying hat”. He suggested that if these ‘experts’ wanted to contributed to a debate about television viewing by children, they needed to take into account all the substantial research that shows that television does lots of good – as well as harm. (Fine 2006 )

In essence, Lumby and Fine define the message of their book through this chapter: “We must support our children to use their TV viewing wisely”

Television has long been a villain as far as moral or media panics are concerned. So when you throw children and obesity into the mix, the panic becomes even greater. In this chapter of their book, Lumby and Fine discuss the obesity factor as one of many anxieties for which TV is “carrying the can”. They critique many reports, journal articles and studies that highlight childhood obesity and suggest that TV is the culprit for making our children fat!  Ultimately they discovered that watching television was not related to a lack of physical activity in children. It was also noted that children who used TV and computers regularly were more likely to  be physically active. The key issues were what children ate and how much.

It is quite natural to be concerned about corruption and children. Children are impressionable and need to be protected. The adults need to approach moral panics that are created by the media, especially around television and film watching, with rational concern and not the ‘blind and hyperbolic fear’ that is being promoted.  
It is important to ask ourselves that in a culture totally engulfed by technology and media, what are the real problems for our youth and what are the ones created by knee jerk responses and ‘unthinking prejudices’?  Our response as educators should be to look rationally at the issues and not to get caught up with the controversial content and the panic created.

REFERENCES:

Archive. (2001). Retrieved October 12, 2010, from Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2001/20010423h.jpg

Cohen, S. (1972). Folk Devils and Moral Panics. London: MacGibbon and Kee .

Lumby, C. a. (2006). Why TV is good for kids : raising 2 l s t century children. sydney: MacMillan.

Lusted, D. (1991). The Media Studies Book. . London and New York: Routledge.

Trouble Right Here in River City. (2007). Retrieved October 12, 2010, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s60hOgqLFGg