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.