Kim Young-Taylor

I believe teens are portrayed negatively in the media. Although some teens are involved in violent crimes, there are some teens who are making a contribution to society. This summer, I helped one of my youngest mentees participate in the Pre-Teen America Academic pageant. These bright, talented young ladies participated in talent, speech, and community divisions of the pageant. However, no media was present. This pageant was an excellent opportunity for media to shed a positive light on teens.

Why do I like to be a manager in a newspaper?

Newspapers are full of quirky people. There are very different cultures within a newspaper - the writers, the sales representatives, the printers, the mailers...They are all different, not like each other at all. As a managers, I feel I bring value to the equation by helping these different groups communicate. In truth, they hardly ever speak to each other.
Managing is like playing in a band- you have to pay attention to everyone and what they do if you want to make good music...

RaMona Alexander

The big media, unfortunately, are very quick to accentuate negative images in particular of males in urban areas of the Hispanic or African American communities. Futhermore; if images are positive of these two communities, it is of individuals affiliated with sports or entertainment. Rarely do we see stories reflective of communities where youth are portrayed and treated the same in general.

Tracey English

Teens and the media and how they are portrayed. Do they have a voice?

Teens today have a voice greater than they may realize. A number of youth media organizations allow the student voice creative expression on everything ranging from gang violence to latest poetry slam. Advertisers, too, recognize that teenagers are a tremendous untapped market with lots of influence on thier parents to spend and are frantically setting up website focused on the interests of high school students.

It's a huge opportunity for students to take advantage, get their voices heard with comments on blogs that can be posted on a variety of Websites.

Dorothy Emily Bill

There's much more to student life than music and booty-shaking.

In fact, student activism is alive and well among young people in America.

Another example is the protest for Jena 6. Read documents from the Jena 6 case.

For more examples of positive student voices on Jena 6 in the media. View video.

Vivian Vahlberg

How are teens portrayed in the media? In the news media, not enough. We in the media don't write enough about what teens think, what they're interested in, what worries them in the world, and what they're doing with their time. I see more interesting things about the passions and pasttimes of young people by looking at some of the interesting videos on you tube. Like, who knew about cupstacking?



Or liquiding?


Or expressive guitar?


Or rock violin?



Now let's go to YouTube and see what Doru likes on Youtube!

Dale Lockett

In my opinion, the news media portrays teenagers in very broad strokes as sociopaths who are dangerous, destructive and have little regard for life. This is definitely the case when it comes to teens of color. The media as a whole can be lazy by stereotyping and generalizing the youth of America and focusing on the negative acts of a few as opposed to highlighting the accomplishments and success stories of teens from all walks of life. Here is an example, of a horrendous story that took place in Houston recently that received a lot of local attention. Example

Helga Silva

Hispanic teens are often protrayed as dropouts, hip-hoppers who live in unsafe neighborhoods where violence threatens their daily lives. Or they are shown as ethnic-centric youths disconected from the mainstream

Gordon Peppars

Everywhere you stop, look and listen, it's apparent that the offspring of the babyboomer generation is nothing more than a zillion screaming me-me's consumed with the instant gratification served up by the YouTube, Facebook and Sidekick fare financed by their parent's disposable income.

Tracy

As the parent of a 14 year old, I am concerned about how teens are viewed by today's media. Everywhere you turn, you see images of our youth being portrayed as out of control and reckless. Are these images harmful to today's youth? Can negative images cause our youth to act out? We need more positive reinforcement to help keep our children on track.

Fellows 2007

Hi, my spencer

Charles Cammack

In positive media stories/dramss teens are sensitive, caring and learning the ways of the hard cold world. In sitcoms they are know it all wonder kids who are smarter than their clueless, fathers and dedicated to their all wise moms. In ads they are wonder consumers who can buy whatever is the next great thing.

Teri Arvesu

Teens are portrayed on our air most often as witnesses to certain events that take place at a school. It's usually a tragic event. They are often seen as having a limited opinion on the event itself and are not normally targeted for popular opinion because of the parental permission needed.

Topics soley targeting teens are rarely a part of our newscast, however one example does come to mind.

This is the story that aired on our competition:
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I wonder if this how they actually would want to be portrayed?

This is the original music video:

Don't Believe The Hype- By J.Wolfe

Teens are often stereotyped by appearance and dress as being involved in negative activity. Thus, the dress itself brings on a negative response. As times change, so do the fads and fashions. Although we may not be able to relate to the styles of the day, we should keep in mind, in many ways today's youth are not so different than past generations. They just want to have fun growing up!

Tracey English

This is trial working on a blog.

MISUNDERSTOOD! by DeShong Perry-Smitherman

Sadly, the only times we cover teens in our newsroom is when there's a bomb threat at a school, a fight inside a school, or when one of them has taken a gun to school. There are the rare stories about the teen with the perfect SAT score, or the one who saved his family from a raging house fire -- but it's a rarity that those stories make it into our editorial meetings.

Being the mother of a 16-year-old girl, I know there's more to teens than bombs, fights and guns. My daughter's life centers around the Pop, Lock & Drop It, Facebook and boys! However, getting her -- (and other teens for that matter) to talk openly about what's going on inside their heads is hard -- and -- often times intimidating.

I think we could do a better job covering teenagers, if only we could understand them!
They are just so darn complicated to us -- and so are we to them.

I guess many of us have forgotten that we were once teens ourselves.

Spencer and Van

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Spencer Fitzsimmons. I was struck by his perception of how teens were portrayed in the media. Upon asking him, what does he base his opinion, he stated that he had "heard" how bad teens are portrayed in the media. Which I found very telling.




For the purpose of this exercise, here is a link to Spencers' school website.

Alli Joseph and Sandra Long

Because this computer does not have speakers, we cannot hear his "rant". We did, however, search by keyword for kids on the web talking/writing/blogging about their own perceptions of their experiences as teenagers. This one in particular seems to be bored with school, something that has been consistent throughout time. We hope there are no f-bombs. -- Sandra and Alli



As follows, a 15-year-old study we found about teen stereotypes. We realize perceptions may have changed, but likely they haven't. The key words that appear most often are "apathy", "laziness", "alcoholics", "drug abusers", "over-sexed", etc. Apparently even the Feds think so.

http://www.kqed.org/w/ymc/empowered/stereotypes.html

As cited in link above:

Young people are portrayed by the media as alcoholics and drug abusers, criminals, bludgers, lazy, complaining and aggressive, according to research commissioned by the Federal Government. (The Age)

The Roy Morgan survey of 600 people, conducted in August, found that more than half thought stories about young people were negative and only 18 percent could remember positive stories in the previous 12 months. (The Age)

A national youth media award was unlikely to make a difference. It was useful for society to regard young people as outsiders and objects of fascination. (The Age)

The 21-word lead-in to a Washington Post (12/22/92) report sums up today's media image of the teenager: 30 million 12- through 19-year-olds toward whom any sort of moralizing and punishment can be safely directed, by liberals and conservatives alike. (Extra!)

Today's media portrayals of teens employ the same stereotypes once openly applied to unpopular racial and ethnic groups: violent, reckless, hypersexed, welfare-draining, obnoxious, ignorant. (Extra!)

Almost as ubiquitous - and blatantly stated by interviewers, TV anchors, boomer parents, liberal intellectuals, right-wing attack panelists, teachers, parents, and anonymous callers - was the notion that the American young are valueless, apathetic, and culturally impaired. (Hotwired)

Donna Rogers

How are teens portrayed by the news media?



Teens are portrayed in various lights in the news media, according to the kind of news they appear to generate. When the topic is crime, teens have special treatment because of laws that don't allow their names to be printed or disclosed. And crimes at schools might not be revealed as quickly as other crimes. For instance, there was a threatening letter that was found at a high school in South Bend, Indiana. The letter was found on a Tuesday but wasn't reported in the media until a Friday. And the Jena 6 case was not hot news for months.

Many times teens appear to be people who commit many of the crimes if only certain kinds of news are considered.

Now, what about the outstanding teens who work hard in school and on the athletic fields? There is some news that hightlights those achievements, such as in the South Bend Tribune.

Teens In The Media

Too many times, the media seems to ignore teens except in instances of wrongdoing. Some teens who are postively involved in the community are ignored in the newspapers and television broadcasts. Many teens whom we know personally work hard in school, are involved in sports and care about society, but I don't see those young people in the newspapers and telelvison. I believe that teens are most often viewed negatively in videos. While many of them are very talented, the messages that they deliver can be negative.

Many times teens are viewed as being very social, as they enjoy sharing photos and posting on networking sites. However, we do not see and hear enough of the positive stories or stories that show the complexity of teen life. In a lot ways it is more difficult to be a teenager today than when their parents were teens. There are a lot of pressures to today's youth and the media tends to show an imbalanced picture.

Where are the stories about the teens who are performing these types of community service projects, for instances?

Mike Kellogg

How are teens portrayed in the media? Unfairly. Teens are like any other group. If a few are being stupid, then society groups all teens into the same group. Most teens will do what is right. Most are motivated to be better citizens and enhance the community in which they live.

Rod & Eva

How are teens portrayed in the media?

Often times, I think that teens are portrayed on a need to know basis especially when they are a problem. Not always the best image...

There really are some teens doing good things but like most other groups, people remember and talk about the bad stuff. It's always the visible group of hardheads that get our attention. Somehow, that can't be right. Right?

Shirley Carswell

How are teenagers portrayed in the media? They are portrayed as text-messaging, music lovers who care mostly about entertainment and shopping, who love to spend money and have no concern about the problems of the world. They also tend to be seen as victims or perpetrators of violence. While many are intrigued by the hip-hop lifestyle, I think they know that that's only an image and don't really want to live like that. They do want to make a difference in the world, and most don't want to be seen as a stereotype.

reid

Unfortunately, I think teens aren't generally depicted in the news media all that often. In newspapers, when they are, it really varies depending on the writer and editor. There are probably more stereotypes used in television news (bit I think that's true in general). There's an assumption that teens are mostly tech savvy, constantly IMing and interested in material things.

Are Teens Under-represented or Over-Represented? by Denise Bates

I often think that teens are viewed as insignificant in the media society unless there is a sensational story involved. In the Houston, Texas community where I work, there is an interest and an effort from the media to bring out positive stories about teens - usually those that are considered over-achievers. There does seem to be a larger need to tell the story of how many "mainstream" teenagers deal with everyday life.

The most significant portrayal of teenagers recently was that of the "Jena 6," which would evoke a negative image to most. However, there is a very positive element that came out of all of the media exposure: it got young people involved in a Civil Rights movement; the first of its size since the 60"s. Proof positive that the younger generation is and wants to be involved in their society.

Julie Topping

I believe young people are portrayed the way adults see them: through our prisms, through our experiences, through our points of view. It's why we don't see young people doing what they really do in life, why they are such a big mystery to boomers. (For example, Brittany, our helper, just educated me about Soldier Boys, a YouTube video I didn't have a clue about.)

So, we often see teenagers in school settings, family settings, neighborhood settings (if they are helping volunteer or something else important to adults). If they are urban teens we may see them involved in drugs, crime or other undesirable activity. But we don't often see them doing what an everyday young person might do.

We also put our own language, fears and thoughts in their mouths...not really giving them a chance to speak for themselves.

Edwina Blackwell Clark

The Media often does not portray teens in a accurate light. We certainly cover High School athletics and when we write stories about that. Teens are portrayed as goal oriented and overcoming many obstacles to succeed.

But on the flip side, today's young people are seen as shopaholics who are dependent on their cell phones and IM. High achieving youth involved in community service and those that help out younger teens or who are religious or spiritual are almost non-existent in the media. Most of the time you see teens, they are being charged with a crime.

Jill Williams

Many are portrayed as lovers of all things hip and cool - of the superficial. Folks think they like music, pop culture and few things that are serious. People think that life is easy for them - that things are handed to them very simply. The media shows kids that live in cities as street savvy, smooth and very interested in appearance and style. The media doesn't often focus on how these young people may fear violence. Some have had friends die. Most are fighting against deeply rooted stereotypes. And beyond all that they want to be successful. It's not just survival - it's survival and success. It's like the movie, "Take the Lead." These kids are so much more...

Where is the reality?

How are teens portrayed by the news media, especially those living in large cities?

I think coverage falls into two stereotypes: those with a hard edge who live a life of lawlessness; the other shows those who survive and thrive against the odds.

Here's an example of the former, but from the suburbs:



Does the fact that I can't find an example of the hard urban teen mean that it is just assumed that urban teens are like that? (but I digress ....)

The reality, of course, is more complicated. Take Devontae, our Blog helper. He lives on Chicago's South side. He goes to a Catholic school. He's hoping to play forward on the basketball team. He has a cell phone and has free text messaging. just got his report card and he did well: 2 A's; 2B's and 2C's. He says he'll try harder in World History and Art. But he's a good student. That's what HE says. He has high expectations for himself. He wants to be an obstetrician.

My 14-year-old? He wants to be an engineer. He has a cell phone and texts rather than calls. My son is Asian. Devontae is black. Both have dreams. Both will succeed. Two different experiences. Two different families with hopes for their children. Where are those dreams on TV? Where is the reality?



It's a good news story ... but it AIN'T on local or network TV!

Don

Sara Melillo

<----That's me!

You don't need to consult the piles of research out there to know that teens aren't consuming "mainstream media." Just ask any young person, or your own kids. Don't get me wrong, they (or should I say, we?) are civically engaged and consume all kinds of media. But teens don't need to rely on adults to serve them the "news" or portray them on TV. Web 2.0 means teens can, and are, creating their OWN media to represent and connect in ways that adult-produced media never could.

We're lucky right here in Chicago to have a booming youth media sector engaged in producing print, magazine, online, radio and multimedia arts on topics that really matter to youth, from racism to environmental justice. The McCormick Tribune Foundation has pumped more than $1.3 million in grants to non-profits serving teen youth media since December 2005.

The young people have created video documentaries exploring a variety of topics, particularly on those of social change affecting teens. They've written stories about censorship at school.

Here's a youth-produced look at one of our local grantees, Street Level Youth Media, which provides education to teens in multimedia arts.



The teens also learn crazy new technologies that us dinosaurs could never get, like Open Youth Network/YouthLab's Map of Migrations. This interactive map, called a mash-up, charts the migration routes of the teens ancestors and present families. It also captures their "dreams for future journeys."

Check it out here: http://youthlab.net/category/our-migration-map/

Oh, and if you want to learn more about different youth media groups that we support, check out our grants list.

Bashing teens for dollars - Mizell Stewart

The advocacy group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting takes the media to task for popularizing oft-repeated myths about teens, such as the "epidemic" in teen pregnancy, "rampant" drug abuse and, dare I say, the pervasive and age-related inability to drive an automobile.

Car crashes are one thing. Suicide, violence and recklessness are other things entirely, FAIR says. "And like traditional stereotypes," the report says, "the modern media teenager is a distorted image, derived from the dire fictions promoted by official agencies and interest groups.

The report goes on to suggest that popular media stereotypes of teens are the result of reporters swallowing the talking points of interest groups such as the National Association of Private Psychiatric Hospitals.

FAIR accuses the hospital group of inflating teen suicide statistics to frighten angst-ridden parents terrified that their child's momentarily sullen mood will lead to much, much worse. (And in the end, drive business to their member hospitals).

In a similar vein, The McKnight Foundation suggests that in reality, the negative images are dwarfed by the great majority of "ordinary young people trying to achieve their goals and grow up ready to contribute to the world."

The best way to combat negative stereotypes, according to McKnight, is for mainstream print, broadcast and online news organizations to support the creation of youth-produced media.

Save the Last Dance offers lessons

The movie "Save the Last Dance" captures the angst of the teenage years and the complexity and texture of teen relationships. From interracial dating to ganglife and academic success, this film helps narrate a soundtrack of teen life. But it is often a soundtrack lacking in many of the nation's newspapers and broadcast news stations' telecasts. Too often, stories about teens deal with the extremes: gang bangers and Harvard-bound genius students from urban neighborhoods; athletes who excel in some sport and would-be rap stars who worship at the altar of Tupac and Biggie; struggling teens who work two jobs, raise their siblings and visit mom at jail on the weekend; you get the picture.

Teens In the Media. Hampton-Fox-Alston

How are teenagers portrayed in media? They are portrayed as computer savvy and techno freaks.

Group/Room Assignments

BLOGGING GROUP/ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

ROOM 306 --- GROUPS 1-4
Computer log in: username: kaplantest password: medill


Group #2 – Khastle Wright
1.Teri Arvesu 2007
2. Charles Commack 1998
3. Julian Posada 2006
4. Sidmel Estes Sumpter2000

Group #3 – Brittany Owens
1. Edwina Blackwell Clark 2007
2. Reid Sams, 1999
3. Julie Green Topping, 2005
4. Helga Silva, 2001

Group #4 -- Darrah Herring
1. Alli Joseph, 2007
2. Sandra Long, 1999
3. Donna Rogers, 2006
4. Cristy Garcia-Thomas, 2003


Group #5 – Daz Hill
1. Michael Kellogg, 2007
2. Rod Richardson, 2000
3. Shirely Carswell, 2004
4. Eva Aquirre Cooper, 2002





BLOGGING GROUP/ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

ROOM 307 GROUPS 5- 8
Computer log in: username: kaplantest password: medill



Group #6 -- Jamil Garbutt
1. Michael McCullough, 2000
2.. Necory Anderson, 2005
3. Renee Hampton, 2003
4. Jean Fox Alston



Group #7 – Passun Sain
1. Mizell Stewart, 2007
2. Denise Bates, 2005
3. Mike Russell, 2003

Group #8 – Devontae Gatewood
1. Jill Williams, 2007
2.Astrid Garcia, 2000
3. Don Wyatt, 2003
4. Julian Posada, 2006

Group #9 –Zane Scheurlein
1. DeShong Perry, 2007
2. Eduardo Fernandez, 2001
3. Gordon Peppars 2004
4. Sharon Prill, 2005





BLOGGING GROUP/ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

ROOM 307 GROUPS 9-12

Computer log in: username: kaplantest password: medill



Group #10 – Sadia Nawab
1. Bill Church, 2006
2. Larry Olmstead, 2002
3. Emily chambers, 2005
4. Dorothy Bland, 2004


Group #11 – Doru Puscas
1. Dale Lockett, 2006
2. RaMona Alexander, 2004
3. Don Wyatt, 2003
4. Vivian Vahlberg


Group #12 – Lori Moody
1. Kim Young-Taylor, 2002
2. Tracey English
3. Sara Mellilo
4. Onika Makwakwa


Group #13 – Spencer Fitzsimmons
1. Clark Bell
2. Pamela Mitchell
3. James Greer, 2000

Devontae Gatewood

How are teenagers portrayed in the media? They are being portrayed as computer savvy and tech freaks.

Doru Puscas

The media thinks that teenagers are nobody and sometimes they dont even portray us at all.


hehe, water can burn, got this off utube

Khastle Wright

How teens are portrayed in the media.

Brittany Owens

How are teenage portrayed in news media?

In my eyes I belive that it effect them, (like the jena 6)

Darrah Herring

How are teenagers portrayed by news media?

Sometimes

Spencer Fitzsimmons

How are teens portrayed in the media. well, I believe we are portrayed as ticking timebombs of raging horomones, who's bread and butter are sex, drugs, and hiphop. I feel that the media needs to get rid of this old man on his porch sindrome that every teen has a gun in their back pocket and is about to start spraying.

Instructions

BLOGGING EXERCISE



Steps to Enter The Site


1. Go to http://fellows2007.blogspot.com/ sign in with the following information:

2. Username: mccormick.fellows.2007@gmail.com

3. Password: gr8,s!t3

Steps to Post to your Group

Whenever you want to view the site go to “view blog”

Your post has already been created, but you will need to edit it by changing “student” to your name.

In helping your executive set up a post, have him/her click on “new post” at the top right and put his/her name in the title space and begin writing.

When you want to add a link, click on the link icon and add the web address. To add a photo, download it to your desktop then click on photo icon and add from browser.


To add video (such as one from a youtube site) go directly to that site, copy the embed code and then paste it directly to your post.


Once your executive has written his/her thoughts on a story and added any links, photos, or video make sure -- and this is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT -- that the correct Group Number (i.e. Group 2, Group 3, Group 4, etc) is typed in the bottom right box where it says “label for this post.”

Click "publish post" and view your work.

Whenever you want to edit click on the orange Blogger icon at the top left, go to “manage post” then click on “edit” next to your entry, change or update and publish post again.

Of course, you can delete at any time.

Once each person (including you) has entered a comment on each person’s post in your group…you are finished.

Of course, you can add more content later during or after this conference.

Lori Moody

I believe the media view teens as only being interested in new fads, gadgets, and what's happening with celebrities. I won't say that teens aren't interested in those things but that we care about other national and global events just like our older counterparts. For instance, I'm involved with a group called YouthLab and we blog and make documentaries to create social change. Alot of times there is this notion where adults believe teens should be "Seen and not heard." I feel that teens have something important to say on many issues, for instance, on who should be our next president in office and the anti-discrimination bill struggling to get passed in all states to stop work biased and corrupt job hiring practices. These things will affect us in the future when we are legal and become tax payers.

I want the media to see what teens are doing in their communties to help make a better future. The web and new technology is allowing teens to make a difference world-wide. The internet is a powerful tool and just by going on sites like YouTube or checking out other blogs on blogger, you can see what many teens have to say about what's going on in the world, which in turn, inspires other youth to let their voices be heard and possibly get passionate about making a difference in their communities.

Doru

Sadia G Nawab

I don't think the media even portrays the youth. IF they present their skewed view of how "kids" are, it is either false or represents a small percentage of youth. My main criticism deals with the music that is polluting our radio waves. This so-called "hip hop," or all modern-day pop for that matter, forces people to believe we're all about sex, money, drugs, gangs, and drama. Unfortunately, this misrepresentation caused poets like Bomani Armah to make videos like "Read a Book." It supposedly teaches (mainstream) hip-hop fans "vital" lessons of life through profanity, vulgar images, and overall whack music. If you really feel teens need to be protrayed accurately, PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT VIDEOS LIKE THESE!!

Zane S.

In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, we achieved a new level of paranoia and over-protection with regard to teens. Almost immediatly after the shootings, it was realeased by the Washington Post that the shooter was a fan of the popular FPS, Counterstrike. Even though it was eventually found that the shooter didn't even own the game, the ball had already begun to roll. A high school student of Asian-American descent had his Texas home raided by police after it was discovered that he had created a map in Counterstrike's map editor that resembled the layout of his school. No guns were found but a couple mock swords were, prompting the police to arrest the teen. This is what happens when the media reports something without proof and without regard for the consequences of their actions. More often than not, teens and teen cultlure are the victims of such scapegoating.

Devontae Gatewood

Passhun J.Sain

pic's of teens

Jamil Garbutt

How are teenagers portrayed in the media?

Teenagers in my eyes are viewed as constant vigilantes and are blamed for a lot of societys problems. There are those who view teenagers as the next generation of working class citizens, but in the same sense they will agree that teenagers cause a lot of trouble before adult hood.
As a teenager myself I do realize I cause a lot of trouble at the expense of others just to have fun, but when it comes down to the bone of the matter I will get serious. When the media portrays teenagers we often bring the negative view to oursleves with music videos like Ey bay bay



Bringing a strictly sexual view to teenagers, but a lot of teenagers are positive, thus proven in videos like The Frays How to save a Life, bringing a more In touch and caring view to teenagers;



Thanks for reading,
Jamil Garbutt

Daz Hill

Darrah Herring

How are teens portrayed by media?

Sometimes it has a HUGE effect on teens. In example, the after effect of Brittany Spears:

Enough said.

Student

Student

Introduction

Welcome to the 2007 Fall Forum. Today, about 12 teams will create a blog that we'll review after dinner. You'll be able to add links, photos and video. The students have already gotten to know you by viewing your bio on the McCormick Fellows website.

As you head to Fisk Hall think about the following question:

"How are teenagers portrayed in the news media?"

Think about a story you recently read, saw or heard that's an example of how the media cover young people -- particularly those who live in and near large cities.

Perhaps your example will come from your own news organization. The students will show you how to post your content. You will then comment on posts from others in your group. You need only to be willing to listen and follow instructions! Good luck!