Teaching the Media About Education and Health Issues

Today the news media is full of reports about gun violence, school shootings, natural disasters and terrorist attacks all in the same headlines. We’ve become so used to seeing the negative side of these events that we’re almost overwhelmed with negative images. But there’s a flip side to the news and that is that while the news may bring us negativity, it may also bring us many things that we can take note of and benefit from.

News organizations like the New York Times, CNN and the Associated Press have published stories in the past that might appeal to you and serve as a wakeup call for you to take some action. For instance, the New York Times recently published a series of articles that looked at the often tragic consequences of untreated childhood asthma. The articles focused on three children – a girl who died from her asthma and was buried without her parents in her hometown; a boy who was five months pregnant when he drowned in the backseat of a car; and a boy who was six years old when he was brutally attacked by two boys playing in his neighborhood. Although the news media brought these stories to light, perhaps they also had an important lesson to teach children about hope and overcoming obstacles.

Perhaps the most powerful lesson learned from this news story was that journalists need to improve their reporting skills and be more informative. It’s amazing how much information a person can collect through an online search and through a simple online search tool like Google News. It’s up to news reporters to sift through the mountains of data that comes through various online sources, including social networking sites, blogs and websites to identify emerging stories that may gain significant public attention. Through news coverage and thorough research, these same journalists can teach the general public about public safety, health issues, environmental issues and other issues that face not only their own communities but the entire nation.