Date: July, 2000
For Immediate Release
Contact: Maria Byck
415.553.2802
ymc@kqed.org

The KQED Youth Media Corps (YMC) is determined to highlight the problem that youth today is greatly influenced by mass media. Just as young people are shaping their own perceptions, mass media is so powerful in its portrayal of reality that it soon becomes the reality of the youth. Although it is a difficult challenge to overcome so-called norm presented by the media, the YMC believes that the public has the power to conquer this obstacle. Its members are determined to relay their message--Reality: Don't let the media define yours. Through the use of television and the Internet, nine diverse teens are working hard to assist every willing person to become a responsible media user and most important, a freethinking citizen.

The members of the YMC explored diversity issues, media production techniques and bias in the media, and they are currently using media to raise community awareness. The YMC team surveyed nearly 300 Bay Area teens, finding that 33 percent of teens believe mass media has a negative effect on them and that an astounding 53 percent feel it has a negative effect on their peers. Statistics prove that mass media are a constant presence in the lives of young people. Children spend an enormous amount of time glued to the television screen. They average 35 hours per week of screen time, either watching television or playing video games. That calls for a reality check! The YMC is sharing its findings with the community and offering new perspectives and remedies to this conglomerating problem.Through an educational media campaign the team is advocating that people analyze the media more carefully and become conscientious consumers.

The collaboration between youth and media professionals is advantageous because it accomplishes two valuable objectives. First, local youth, by creating their own media campaign, are taking an active role in Bay Area media production and education. Second, the community will gain the understanding that they must determine what is right for them and what is acceptable for the airwaves.

KQED Education Network created this educational initiative in order to provide Bay Area youth with intensive training in media literacy and media production. Using this education and opportunity, the YMC has established professional relationships with local media, has learned how to evaluate and respond to media that exist in their own community, and has created a media campaign suitable for a mass audience. KQED, Inc., operates KQED TV9, the nation's most-watched public television station; KQED 88.5FM, one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation; and KQED Education Network, which brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and media professionals through workshops, seminars and the Internet, and also supports the Youth Media Corps.

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