Founder's Blog

Just Think Founder Elana Yonah Rosen goes Beyond Primetime.

The Aspen Institute and CSM coordinated an intensive day meeting with 200 influencers from media industry leaders, public health experts, FCC commissioners, educational television heads, to funders and more to discuss how to “harness the best that this new media environment has to offer and turn it into an agent of productivity, education, and human development.”

The fact that the gathering’s goals included sustainable, ongoing awareness of media as a public health issue for children and our broader society should catch your attention.

The commercial industry leaders opened the day. Dick Parsons – TW, Les Moonves – CBS and Harvey Weistein – and were heavily attacked by both the facilitator, Ken Auletta, and audience alike for not doing enough. Though the panelists agreed, it wasn’t until Parson’s exclaimed that although he woke up on the wrong side of this be this morning, that we should be discussing solutions. Agreed.

There were those calling for more research, those debunking research – predominately the tv/cable industry, and one MD from Stanford, Dr. Tom Robinson, who specializes in obesity citing media literacy as “not working” because it does not change behavior. discussed the research summit and cited recent outcomes. What this panel did delve into is HOW MEDIA LITERACY EDUCATION WORKS. As per Dr. Robinson’s citation that turning off your TV does have a statistical impact, sure. But until we live in a society without media, Just Think will contiue to offer scientifically significant POSITIVE outcomes. Please see Just Think’s MEAL outcomes for the results of effective media literacy education in developing increased scores in critical and creative thinking tests (as per the Torrance Test of Critical Thinking). And this is after we trained teachers in two of San Francisco Middle Schools receiving the highest percentage of free and reduced lunches (i.e., poor and low performing).

The best question of the day was “if you were queen or king, what is the one thing you’d do to improve the state of media?”

A few answers:

Create a documentary like An Inconvenient Truth on the subject of the effects of Media to raise public consciousness.

Create a process in which those who make $ off children with media, will pay for educational media, ensuring that it thrives and survives.

Create Sesame Street in every country and a Ms. Rogers in the middle east.

Start a Media Monday – ask everyone, twice a year, to focus on media awareness. release stats, polls, solicit video game producers release an educational video game. have super nanny show take the TV out and see the screaming kids and parents…etc.

Media Responsibility – form a conference from the media producers perspective and conduct a peer review – which firm has done the best job stepping up to the plate – and who has done the worst job – this would be from the commercial producers.

Sarah Brown, of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy got down to the finances for the solution. “There are 70 million young people in the U.S., if we spent $10 more a year on them – we’ll have $700,000 million a year. and if we spent $100/child a year, we’d have 7 billion a year to work with, and implement media literacy education programs and track them.”

Toward the end of the day, Jim Steyer of CSM cheer-led the group calling to “Institutionalize Media Education for America.” It was a welcome cry to have our 25-year National Media Education effort named and recorded for public record via C-SPAN. Commissioner Copps clearly stated that the issue is bipartisan, and the FCC is working together to act if the industry does not. Copp called for a comprehensive K-12 integration of Media Literacy Education.

Here is Just Think’s call for action – STAY ON THE RADAR SCREEN. Just Think has the support of the AMLA, the FCC, and the Partnership for 21st Century, whose efforts include replacing No Child Left Behind with real educational solutions. If you’ve not clicked deep into Just Think’s site. Do. Look at how we do what we do. Email us questions if you have them at think@justthink.org.

If you’re not a member of the AMLA’s – join here. The monthly news blast is the most comprehensive summary of the Media Literacy Education information in America. JOIN THE DISCOURSE – attend the National Media Education Conference and the first ever Research Summit on MLE in St. Louis June 22 – 26, 2007,.

And always, JUST THINK.

Truly,
~elana

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