Center for Media Literacy For 500 years, since the invention of moveable type, we have valued the ability to read and write as the primary means of communicating and understanding history, cultural traditions, political and social philosophy and news of the day. In more recent times, traditional literacy skills ensured that individuals could participate fully as engaged citizens and functioning adults in society. Today families, schools and all community institutions share the responsibility for preparing young people for living and learning in a global culture that is increasingly connected through multi-media and influenced by powerful images, words and sounds. (Center for Media Literacy)

Media Literacy.com - "Media is probably the most powerful cultural force on the planet. We consume media because we enjoy it, but public relations "spin," paid product placement, violence depicted as a normal and acceptable way to solve problems, bias in the news, digital photo manipulation and many other issues -- related to both the content of media and the process of how we use it in our lives -- provide many reasons why both children and adults need media literacy education." This gateway to media resources online is full of information and materials.

PBS Media Literacy Resource - The site offers a great interactive quiz for teachers, parents, and students to test their media literacy. The site also as a resource page, a resource of PBS materials related to media literacy, and ideas for teachers to integrate media literacy in their current work.

Collected Resources on Media literacy taken from PBS

About-Face http://www.about-face.org/ Investigate stereotypes of women in advertising through galleries of print ads, statistics, and activism campaigns. Note: Be sure to preview gallery content before classroom use.

Ad Age Fact Pack 2004 Edition http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=39766 This quick-reference synopsis of the year’s marketing and advertising data shows who spends the most on advertising, how much is spent on advertising across various media, and much more.

Advertisement Avenue http://www.advertisementave.com/ This free archive of television commercials provides an abundant source of content for advertising analysis.

Commercial Alert http://commercialalert.org/ Commercial Alert's mission is to limit commercialism and its potentially negative influences. This site contains an extensive collection of articles and press releases related to commercialism’s impact on culture, education, government, and health.

PR Watch: Spin of the Day http://www.prwatch.org/cgi/spin.cgi Get the latest from the world of public relations professionals in this watchdog report.

Report: Teens Seeing Too Many Magazine Ads for Alcohol http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=5632002 This July 2004 Reuters article describes a report that examined advertisements in 103 national magazines and suggests that teenagers, especially girls, may be more likely than adults of legal drinking age to come across alcohol ads in their favorite magazines.

Selling America’s Kids: Commercial Pressures on Kids of the '90s http://www.consumersunion.org/other/sellingkids/summary.htm This report from the publishers of Consumer Reports examines five types of promotional strategies still commonly used to market to children, including celebrity endorsements, licensing and cross-selling, product placements, and more.

Zillions Ed Center http://www.zillions.org/ Zillions is ConsumerReports.org for kids and contains information on tricks used to advertise food and toys, as well as product tests and consumer tips. Updates to the site stopped in 2001.

Commercialism in Schools

Captive Kids: A Report on Commercial Pressures on Kids at School http://www.consumersunion.org/other/captivekids/index.htm This report from the publishers of Consumer Reports identifies forms of in-school commercialism and explores arguments for and against commercialism in schools. While published in 1995, this report’s findings continue to be relevant.

Commercialism in Education Research Unit http://www.asu.edu/educ/epsl/ceru.htm This research unit of Arizona State University conducts research, disseminates information, and helps facilitate dialogue between the education community, policy makers, and the public at large about commercial activities in schools.

Harris Interactive/Kid Power Poll of Youth Marketers http://www.harrisinteractive.com/expertise/pubs/KidPower_Poll_Results.pdf (PDF file) This 2004 poll found a sharp divide in opinions about whether or not advertising should be present in schools. The poll gathered input from 878 youth marketing, research, ad/PR, media, education, and non-profit professionals.

Public Education: Commercial Activities in Schools http://www.gao.gov/new.items/he00156.pdf (PDF file) This 2000 General Accounting Office report for Congress examines commercialism in public schools. Data for this report was gathered through visits to 19 K-12 schools in seven school districts in three states, and includes a review of related reports and articles, plus an examination of state legal codes.

The School Law Handbook: What Every Leader Needs to Know http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/2004bosher/chapter2.html This 2004 book from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) contains a chapter on “Commercialism in Schools” that outlines points that school decision-makers should consider when managing the level of commercialism in schools.

Stay Free! Magazine http://www.stayfreemagazine.org/ Stay Free! is a magazine that focuses on issues surrounding commercialism and American culture, including marketing to kids and marketing in schools. While articles are available free online, schools may also obtain bulk copies for the cost of shipping.

Gender and Sex in the Media

About-Face http://www.about-face.org/ Investigate stereotypes of women in advertising through galleries of print ads, statistics, and activism campaigns. Note: Be sure to preview gallery content before classroom use.

Beauty and Body Image in the Media http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm This article provides statistics on how women view their bodies, dieting behaviors, economic forces that influence our beauty ideal, and more.

Children’s Perceptions of Male Stereotypes http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/men_and_masculinity/masculinity_children.cfm This research review looks at how young people perceive the portrayal of men in various media.

Sex on TV 3: Content and Context http://www.kff.org/entmedia/20030204a-index.cfm This 2003 study from the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that two-thirds of all shows still include sexual content, but more mention waiting, protection, or consequences of sex.

Sexuality, Contraception, and the Media http://www.aap.org/policy/re0038.html Read a 2001 policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics about the media and teen sexual behavior.

Teens, Sex and the Media http://www.mediascope.org/pubs/ibriefs/tsm.htm This 2001 review of a number of research studies provides statistics about media portrayals of sexuality.

Top Selling Video Games "Unhealthy" For Girls http://www.childrennow.org/newsroom/news-00/pr-12-12-00.htmj This 2000 press release cites statistics and cautions consumers about video games marketed to kids.

Violence, Women, and the Media http://www.mediascope.org/pubs/ibriefs/vwm.htm This 2000 article offers a summary of recent research on violence against women in American society and media portrayals of domestic violence.

Media Consumption

Children, Adolescents, and Television http://www.aap.org/policy/re0043.html This 2001 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement describes the possible negative health effects of television viewing on children and adolescents, asserts that media education is an effective approach to mitigating these potential problems, and offers a list of recommendations on this issue for concerned parties.

Kids & Media @ The New Millenium http://www.kff.org/entmedia/1535-index.cfm This 1999 Kaiser Family Foundation study gathered media usage data from more than 3,000 children ages 2-18. Results indicate that children on average spend more than 38 hours per week outside of school using media.

National Institute on Media and the Family http://www.mediafamily.org/ Access recent fact sheets on children's media habits, tips for managing media consumption, video game and movie reviews that warn of violent or sexual content, ratings systems info, and more.

A Normative Study of Family Media Habits http://www.mediafamily.org/research/report_g_w2002.pdf This study from the National Institute on Media and the Family, published in 2002, presents the results of a survey on family media habits with a random national sample of 527 parents of 2- to 17-year-olds. Results indicate that many family media habits predict children’s school performance.

People Use Media Twice As Much As They Think They Do http://www.bsu.edu/icommunication/news/stories/february/2_25_03.html This 2004 report from Ball State University shares the findings of researchers who shadowed 101 people for a day and recorded their actual media use. These results compared with other media consumption reporting from phone surveys and personal diaries show that adults use media more frequently than other research studies suggest.

The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia022404pkg.cfm This 2004 Issue Brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation reviews more than 40 studies and describes what researchers do and do not know about the role media plays in childhood obesity. It also identifies ways media could play a positive role in helping to address this important public health problem.

Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers http://www.kff.org/entmedia/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=22754 This 2003 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation documents very young children’s access to and use of electronic and print media in the home. Data for this study comes from a nationally representative random-digit-dial telephone survey of more than 1,000 parents of children ages six months through six years.

Media Violence

The Business of Media Violence http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/business_media_violence.cfm This article provides sales statistics and discusses how market forces encourage increasingly violent media imagery.

Exposure to Violent Media: The Effects of Songs with Violent Lyrics on Aggressive Thoughts and Feelings http://www.apa.org/journals/psp/press_releases/may_2003/psp845960.pdf (PDF file) This 2003 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology article reports on five experiments conducted with college students that connect violent songs with hostility and aggressive thoughts.

The Influence of Media Violence on Youth http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/pspi/pspi43.pdf (PDF file) This 2003 article published by Psychological Science in the Public Interest summarizes current scientific research and asserts there is unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts.

Marketing Violent Media to Children http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/07/mvreport.htm This 2004 report from the Federal Trade Commission to Congress provides a review of industry practices in the motion picture, music recording and electronic game industries.

Media Violence as a Risk Factor for Children: A Longitudinal Study http://www.mediafamily.org/research/report_gentile_et_al_aps_2004.pdf (PDF file) This study measures media exposure across TV, movies, and video games, and then notes over time any changes in verbal, relational, and physical aggression. Data was gathered between November 2000 and June 2003 from 430 students in 3rd through 5th grade, as well as from their teachers and parents.

Research on the Effects of Media Violence http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/violence/effects_media_violence.cfm This 2003 article from the Media Awareness Network reviews key findings of research from the past few decades on the effects of media on violent behavior.

TV Bloodbath: Violence on Primetime Broadcast TV http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/stateindustryviolence/exsummary.asp This 2004 report from the Parents Television Council says that violence in primetime television is more frequent and violent than in measures for similar programming in 1998, 2000, and 2002. The report also details which broadcasters have the most and least violent content.

Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors in the Laboratory and in Life http://www.apa.org/journals/psp/psp784772.html This 2000 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology article explains the findings of two studies. One shows that real-life violent video game play was positively related to aggressive behavior and delinquency. The second shows that laboratory exposure to a graphically violent video game increased aggressive thoughts and behavior.

Violence, Women, and the Media http://www.mediascope.org/pubs/ibriefs/vwm.htm This 2000 article offers a summary of recent research on violence against women in American society and media portrayals of domestic violence.

What Goes In Must Come Out: Children's Media Violence Consumption at Home and Aggressive Behaviors at School http://www.mediafamily.org/research/report_issbd_2002.shtml This 2002 study from the National Institute on Media and the Family outlines how consumption of violent media affects children's treatment of one another. A diverse sample of 219 students from grades 3, 4, and 5 completed three surveys that were then analyzed for correlations between media consumption and aggression.

Youth and Violent Music Issue Brief http://www.mediascope.org/pubs/ibriefs/yvm.htm This 2000 article offers a summary of the latest research on violent content in music lyrics and videos.

News Reporting

2003 Teen Survey Results: Teens and Newspapers http://www.usaweekend.com/classroom/survey/teen_survey2004_results.html This survey of more than 65,000 teens, age 13 to 18, reports which media (i.e. TV, radio, online, newspapers) teens use to find news and information important to them.

The Center for Media and Public Affairs http://www.cmpa.com/index.htm This nonpartisan research and educational organization analyzes news media coverage and political humor. On the Web site, find press releases and reports that address how journalists and late night comics communicate about political candidates, health issues, and other topics.

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) http://www.fair.org/ Access reports of media bias and censorship; special newswatches focus on representations of women and minorities in the news.

Freedom Forum http://www.freedomforum.org Access up-to-date information on censorship, journalistic issues, and newsroom diversity.

The Local Television News Media's Picture of Children http://www.childrennow.org/media/local-news-study/index.htm This study, published by Children Now in October 2001, suggests that the news media routinely paint a distorted view of children. On the local news, children are more likely to be depicted in the context of crime and violence than through issues such as health, education, family and community life.

A Measure of Media Bias http://www.yale.edu/isps/seminars/american_pol/groseclose.pdf (PDF file) This 2003 study examines bias in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Drudge Report, Fox News’ Special Report, and the three networks’ nightly news programs.

News Audiences Increasingly Politicized http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=833 This 2004 study from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reports on news media consumption habits, audience demographics for various news outlets, and audience perceptions of news credibility.

The State of News Media 2004: An Annual Report on American Journalism http://www.stateofthenewsmedia.org/index.asp This report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism examines the content, audience, economics, ownership, newsroom investment, and public attitudes related to news from a variety of media.

Television and Family

Children, Adolescents, and Television http://www.aap.org/policy/re0043.html This 2001 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement describes the possible negative health effects of television viewing on children and adolescents, asserts that media education is an effective approach to mitigating these potential problems, and offers a list of recommendations on this issue for concerned parties.

FCC: Children's Educational Television http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/kidvid/prod/kidvid.htm This FCC site explains the Children's Television Act of 1990, the new rules passed in 1996, and information on obtaining a network's Children's Television Programming Report.

The Local Television News Media's Picture of Children http://www.childrennow.org/media/local-news-study/index.htm This study, published by Children Now in October 2001, suggests that the news media routinely paint a distorted view of children. On the local news, children are more likely to be depicted in the context of crime and violence than through issues such as health, education, family and community life.

A Parents’ Guide to TV Ratings and the V-Chip http://www.ncta.com/images/VChip%202000%20Brochure.pdf (PDF file) This brochure from the Kaiser Family Foundation explains the TV ratings system and V-Chip technology, as well as provides tips for watching TV with your family.

A Study of Family Media Habits http://www.mediafamily.org/research/report_g_w2002.pdf (PDF file) This study from the National Institute on Media and the Family, published in 2002, presents the results of a survey on family media habits with a random national sample of 527 parents of 2- to 17-year-olds. Results indicate that many family media habits predict children’s school performance.

TV Networks "Family Hour" Has Least Diverse Prime Time Programming http://www.childrennow.org/newsroom/news-01/pr-5-2-01.cfm This 2001 Children Now press release provides highlights of a study about racial diversity in prime-time programming.

TV Bloodbath: Violence on Primetime Broadcast TV http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/reports/stateindustryviolence/exsummary.asp This 2004 report from the Parents Television Council says that violence in primetime television is more frequent and violent than in measures for similar programming in 1998, 2000, and 2002. The report also details which broadcasters have the most and least violent content.

Tools for Educators

Advertisement Avenue http://www.advertisementave.com/ This free archive of television commercials provides an abundant source of content for advertising analysis.