MAGIC news archive
February 2006

UPDATES
"Mundo sem Segredos" MAGIC entry updated

Check out this fascinating youth radio project from Mozambique in the MAGIC bank.

OPINIONS
Editorial: Parents should talk to children about violence in media
Collegian Editorial Board - Kansas State Collegian
The old adage of "guns don't kill people - people kill people" applies to the media, as well.
(...) Parents have little to fear from violence in the media, as long as they are able and willing to communicate the real-life consequences of that violence with their children.
FULL ARTICLE

WORKSHOPS
OneMinutesJr workshop starts in Latvia

The OneMinutesJr workshop in Latvia brings together 20 young people from the Baltic States - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. In a 5-day workshop, they will create 20 OneMinutesJr videos. All films will soon be online at the project website www.theoneminutesjr.org.

REPORTS
Teenagers hit out at stereotyping - Ireland
Young people believe they are being treated unfairly due to stereotypical notions associating them with crime and sexual promiscuity, a new survey has revealed.
Teenagers said their treatment was often unequal and unfair in comparison with the way adults are treated in public places. The report 'Inequality and the Stereotyping of Young People' from the Equality Authority and the National Youth Council of Ireland found young people felt they were being treated differently to adults in the education system, in shops and in public places.
FULL ARTICLE
FULL REPORT in pdf

OPPORTUNITIES
Junior Film Contest - My Europe

"Shooting Europe" is a European film festival to take place in Karlsruhe Germany (24-28 May 2006). There will be a competition for professional movie makers.
However, we decided also to ask non-professionals for their contributions in a special junior cathegory. Please take your camera and show what you would call "My Europe".
More info available in the following languages: Bulgarian, Dutch, English, German, French, Latvian, Polish, Slovak, Slovenian, Turkish and Ukrainian here.

AWARDS
"Youth image in mass media"-competition winners announced in Moldova
The Youth Media Centre in Chisinau announced the results of the "YOUTH IMAGE IN MASS-MEDIA" contest for journalists. 15 journalists from newspapers, press agencies, and radio and TV stations from Chisinau, Tiraspol and Balti participated in the contest. They presented about 100 media works published in 2005 and related to youth and youth problems. Young people were often portrayed in the mass media in recent years, but most of the materials produced by journalists drew a negative image of the youth.
Most of the time "young people" in the media is synonym with shocking, alarming news, worrying statistics or offensive behavior. In most of the materials presented for the contest, it became obvious that the journalists tried to present young people as a force capable to step over difficulties linked with their age. Some of the journalists succeeded to highlight the positive parts of youth, to present them as a solution, as a valuable resource for their communities, as persons with visions for the future rather than as a source of problems.
The Youth Media Centre thanks all the journalists who participated in the contest and encourage all media workers to see young people as a resource for positive materials in mass media, as an important resource for society.
Awarded journalists:
Prize I - Ursu Silvia, "Timpul" newspaper - 100 Euro
Prize II - Valentina Romanciuc, "Ora Copiilor" show, Radio Moldova"- 75 Euro
Prize III - Dorosenco Luiza, Tiraspol, "Pridnestrovie" newspaper - 50 Euro
The contest was organized in the framework of the project "Promoting of Young Journalists from Moldova, inclusively form Transnistrian and UTA Gagauzian region" with the financial support of IFA and Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe, sponsored by Germany.
Source and contact: Youth Media Centre Chisinau

NEWS
Youth-run magazine saved by Big Boost lottery fund grant - By Tom Lloyd - 22/02/06
A south London youth magazine has survived funding problems after securing one of the first grants from a lottery programme that supports projects run by young people. The £3,500 Big Boost lottery grant will fund the next edition of Sense.
Magazine co-founder Duane Melius hopes that Sense will then become more self-sufficient, from additional advertising revenue."We've gone from depending on the local youth service to not having any money, then being given a Big Boost award," he said. "They came through for us."
FULL ARTICLE

NEWS
Better coverage of kids urged in Taiwan - Civic groups called on the local media to exercise more restraint in covering news on children and to ensure that the kids' identities are better protected
Civic groups yesterday released a study on the coverage of child and adolescent-related news and said that the media must be better regulated to ensure the quality of such news reports.
The Alliance of Children and Youth Welfare Groups, along with the media-monitoring group Media Watch, gathered and evaluated news reports on children and adolescents from local cable TV stations' evening news from August to November last year.
FULL ARTICLE

AWARDS
CRCA Names Winners of 2005 Child Rights Media Awards

16 February 2006 - The Children's Human Rights Centre of Albania declared today the winners of the 2005 Child Rights Media Awards. This initiative of CRCA, supported by Palme Center and SIDA, has as its main aim to increase a better reporting of children issues and children rights in the mainstream printed and broadcast mass media in Albania.
'I have the pleasure today to announce the winners of the 2005 Child Rights Media Awards - said Mr. Altin Hazizaj, Director of CRCA - I come myself from journalism and I know how important is to support the journalists in their daily work and their aims to bring to the attention of the society at large and the Government issues and concerns that not always make it to the public agenda. Only during the recent last two years we have seen a greater interest of media on children and their rights. For this reason we at CRCA will support every journalist and every media to raise their concerns on children's rights situation in Albania'.
The Child Rights Media Awards, are given for the very first time to the journalists, based on three major categories: Child Rights Printed Media Award; Child Rights Radio Award; and Child Rights Television Award.
The three Media Awards went to:

• Mr Holta Zhiti, journalist at the national TV 'Top Channel', as the best Journalist for Children's Rights in a Television channel, for her continuous and truthful coverage of children issues during 2005.
• Mr Arben Muka, journalist of the Deutsche Velle Radio (Albanian Section), as the best Journalist for Children Rights in a Radio Station, for his coverage of children issues, especially for bringing to the public agenda his concerns for the miss-use of children and children images during Election Campaign 2005 in Albania.
• Miss Denisa Xhoga, journalist at the Daily Newspaper 'Metropol', as the best Journalist for Children's Rights in the mainstream printed media, for the continuous coverage of children's lives, children's concerns and child rights violations in Albania.

The aim of the Child Rights Media Award is to promote child rights issues in the printed and broadcasted media in Albania; to increase the level of media reports on children and to increase the ethics of media towards children and their rights. The Child Rights Media Awards will be given to the journalists in a public ceremony that CRCA is planning to hold during March 2006.
SOURCE
CRCA WEBSITE

NEWS
Children’s Television Foundation of Bangladesh (CTFB) launched
CTFB, the Children's Television Foundation of Bangladesh, will work as a non-profit organization whose main objective will be to connect the children worldwide to understand the diversified culture, society and economy.
CTFB will also play a vital role to connect the children of the world to understand each other that can break the unseen barriers to resolve tension and conflicts in the society.
The proposed CTFB will seize this opportunity to create a solid foundation for children's programming by Bangladeshi television channels.
On top of three existing satellite channels, three more channels will hit the market, creating ample opportunities for children to make their voice heard.
CTFB website

PROJECTS
Southern Lebanon Magazine Publishes Supplements Written by Students

Through a small grant, Chou'oun Janoubiyah (Southern Affairs) magazine, based in Sidon, Lebanon, trained young journalism students from the southern region of Lebanon to improve their reporting techniques. After the trainings, the magazine provided follow-up support to help participants write articles using the new skills they had acquired. These articles were published in two Youth Supplements that were inserted in the December 2005 and January 2006 issues of Chou'oun Janoubiyah. The supplements, "The South: In the Pens of its Youth (PDF)," and "Southern Panorama: Issues and Trends (PDF)," are in full color and written in Arabic. Topics covered in the supplements include voting issues, sexual harassment, child labor and marriage. Besides their inclusion in the magazine, the supplements were also distributed to university students.
SOURCE

ARTICLES
Children's films devalue women by making most characters male, says Geena Davis
In her most recent acting role, Geena Davis does her bit for gender equality by portraying the first female US president. But in the world that is Hollywood it is a small drop in a mighty ocean.
FULL ARTICLE

RESOURCES

MDG Youth Action Guide
in English, Spanish, French & German

PROJECTS
Global Youth News Service launched in tribute to Daniel Pearl
February 1, 2006 - "Being a PEARL World Youth News reporter is fabulous. I can express what I think and friends worldwide are really listening," says Nguyen Long, a Grade 12 student from Hue City, Vietnam.
iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) and the Daniel Pearl Foundation today launched PEARL (Prepare and Educate Aspiring Reporters for Leadership) World Youth News, an international news service with articles written, edited and published by secondary school students from around the world. The first PEARL articles have come from certified student PEARL Reporters in Uzbekistan, Vietnam, UK and US, and can be viewed on the PEARL website.
FULL PRESS RELEASE

OPPORTUNITIES / TRAINING
Diversity reporting workshop focuses on human rights
An upcoming workshop for Georgian journalists will focus on diversity issues, and in particular on coverage of disadvantaged children. The training is scheduled for February 24 to 26 in Likani.
The Media Diversity Institute and the Georgian office of Save the Children are organizing the workshop with support from the European Community. The U.S. Agency for International Development is sponsoring the program through its Rebuilding Lives Project.
The event will include training on professional reporting and roundtable discussions on how news coverage can help protect children at risk.
o rganizers hope the workshop will help journalists better understand issues related to disadvantaged children. Besides basic journalism training, the workshop will give participants a chance to discuss how reporters could be advocates for at-risk children.
There is not an open application process; organizers are contacting local editors to recommend their reporters for the workshop. For more information, contact Gvantsa Asatiani, spokeswoman for Save the Children, Georgia, at gvantsa@savechildren.ge or scgeorgia@savechildren.ge; or telephone +995 32 99 64 00 or +995 32 99 54 54.

BROADCASTING
Al Jazeera Children's Channel inaugurates its regional office in Jordan
As part of its ongoing commitment to Arab children, Al Jazeera Children's Channel, has recently inaugurated its regional office in Amman - Jordan, in a move designed to further extend its network and offer value-added services to its viewers.
FULL ARTICLE

DIGITAL DIARY
Berenice from Ghana tells her story
Berenice Akuamoah used a mini-disc recorder and microphone to document her life in a six-part series for UNICEF Radio and Voices of Youth. Berenice is a very unusual 18-year-old young woman who hopes to become a lawyer, a sociologist, a political scientist and a journalist. “As you can see,” she says, “I am a young woman with many aspirations for my life.”

6 February 2006:

Berenice starts University and turns 19 years old.
Part 4 of 6.


30 January 2006:

Berenice shows us around her local market.
Part 3 of 6.

23 January 2006:

Berenice shows us around her youth radio show, Curious Minds. Part 2 of 6.


16 January 2006:

18-year-old Berenice Akuamoah from Ghana tells her own story in her digital diary.
Part 1 of 6.

MORE ABOUT BERENICE

ARTICLES
History Flash: The Birth of Youth-Made Radio - Ellin O'Leary and Jayme Burke explain how teens got on the air in the days before "youth media" existed.
FULL ARTICLE

INTERVIEWS
Ukrainian teenager: "My biggest dream is to run a youth radio or TV station."
Denis Stepura (19) lives and studies in the Ukrainian capital Kiev. He was born in Togliatty (near Samara) in the Russian Federation on June 21, 1986. Denis' grandparents lived in Togliatty and his family had moved there temporarily because of the Chernobyl disaster two months before Denis' birth. After seven months in Togliatty, Denis and his parents moved back to Kiev.
FULL INTERVIEW
PHOTO ESSAY

BROADCASTING
This week on CNN's "Inside Africa": SIERRA LEONE - A child soldier fights back
Thousands of children were forced into fighting during Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war. We meet one of them, 12-year old Mohammed Sidibay. He is a former child soldier who survived the war to go onto become an activist. Sidibay has created his own website to stop the recruitment of children as soldiers for war. In a documentary film, Sidibay shares his experience as a child soldier and his efforts to stop the use of child soldiers.
Austin Haeberle, Creative Director for the "Listen Up" non-profit organization for young filmmakers joins us to talk about Mohammed Sidibay's documentary. He served as a creative mentor on the project.
MORE ABOUT "BEYOND BORDERS"

Showtimes on CNN:

• Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America - SAT 1630 GMT, SUN 0630 GMT
• Asia, S. Asia - SAT 1630 GMT
• United States - SAT 1130 ET, SUN 0230 ET

AWARDS
Ukrainian teenager wins Staying Alive Foundation Award

© Denis Stepura - 2004
Producing a radio show in Kiev, Ukraine: Denis Stepura
Denis Stepura (19), from Kiev, is among the winner of this year's Staying Alive competition. The awards are given to young people as well as youth organizations engaged in grass roots HIV/AIDS awareness, education and prevention campaigns. Denis is the only winner from Europe. All other winners come from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
FULL ARTICLE

VIOLENCE ON TV
Children's films aren't so safe anymore
From life-or-death battles in "The Chronicles of Narnia" to laser-wielding aliens in "Chicken Little," today's G- and PG-rated movies are much different than they used to be. According to a recent Harvard study, violence is on the rise in those movies.
FULL ARTICLE

OPPORTUNITIES / AWARDS
The WACC Photographic Competition 2006
This competition, in its third year, it is being run on Flickr for the first time! It closes on May 1st and has cash prizes! Entries are invited interpreting the theme of: THE MEDIA AND PEOPLE.
The competition is open to all men, women and children, of all ages and from all countries. Entries from amateurs and professionals are welcome. There is no limit to the number of photographs that a person may enter, but no entrant may win more than one prize in the contest.
The closing date is 1 May 2006. The competition winners will be announced on World Communication Day, 8 May. A selection of entries will be exhibited in London and will be used in the WACC publications such as the website and the journal "Media Development".
A panel of judges will select the winners. All decisions by the judges are final and no correspondence will be entered into. All winners will be contacted immediately after the results of the competition have been announced.
Contact the competition coordinator Erick Coll by e-mail with any questions, or write a new "topic" at the PROJECT WEBSITE.

ARTICLES
Educating parents of techno-savvy kids - by Dr Pieter Streicher
Western society has become more and more permissive with the emphasis on the "freedom of expression" of individuals. However, these consenting rights need to be balanced by the protection of children's rights. Gone are the days when parental control meant keeping your kids off the neighbour's farm. Today parents need to be vigilant and protect children from harmful media content.
Parental vigilance of media is becoming increasingly difficult. Adult magazines abound in stores and adult videos, adult movies on TV and adult websites are accessible. Now, even cell phones can download adult content.
FULL ARTICLE

INTERVIEWS
„Kinder wollen die Welt begreifen“ - (in German)
Seit Dezember 2005 ist der Sender Baby TV für 1,1 Millionen Haushalte im Kabelnetz Baden-Württembergs frei empfangbar. In seinem Ursprungsland Israel gehört Baby TV zu den erfolgreichsten Pay-TV-Sendern. Das werbefreie 24-Stunden-Programm ist speziell für Kleinkinder zwischen dem 0. und 3. Lebensjahr konzipiert. Tagsüber will Baby TV Kinder und Eltern zu Aktivitäten motivieren, nachts glaubt man mit ruhiger Musik und Farbflächen den Schlaf der Kinder fördern zu können. SCHAU HIN! sprach mit der renommierten Kinderfernsehexpertin Dr. Maya Götz, Leiterin des Internationalen Zentralinstituts für das Jugend- und Bildungsfernsehen (IZI) in München, über Sinn und Wirkung von Fernsehsendungen und die richtigen Fernsehregeln für kleine Kinder.
Frau Dr. Götz, seit Dezember letzten Jahres gibt es in Deutschland den ersten 24-Stunden-Sender für Babys und Kleinkinder. Was sagt die Expertin für Kinderfernsehen dazu?
Dr. Götz: Von der Grundidee ist es ein Angebot für Eltern, die ein altersgemäßes Fernsehangebot für ihre Kinder suchen. In diesem Fall für sehr junge Kinder. In seinem Ursprungsland Israel hat dieser Sender eine bestimmte Funktion: In Israel gehören leider sehr erschreckende Bilder über die Folgen von Terroranschlägen und Kampfhandlungen zum Fernsehalltag. Hier ist es sinnvoll, sich einen Pay-TV-Kanal zu leisten, auf dem keine blutenden Menschen zu sehen sind. Für Israel kann ich noch verstehen, wenn Eltern für ihre Kinder – nicht aber Babys – ein Programm wünschen, in dem keine Schreckensnachrichten gezeigt werden.
FULL INTERVIEW
SOURCE

RESOURCES
Child Rights Album in Serbian, Albanian, Hungarian and Romani added to MAGIC resources

You can find this illustrated child rights resource here.

For older news, please go to the
ARCHIVE

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