Related PBS Sites & Programs
PBS offers several TV programs and online activities that can help you explore media issues with your students:
General
Arthur's Guide to Media Literacy
http://pbskids.org/arthur/parentsteachers/lesson/medialiteracy/index.html
Enjoy this collection of lessons that use a different ARTHUR episode to launch a guided discussion and classroom activities based on a media literacy theme.
In The Mix
http://www.pbs.org/inthemix/
Use this by teens, for teens program to explore issues connected to TV production, media and self-image, smoking and juvenile violence.
NewsHour EXTRA: Media
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/students/media/
Find news stories and resources on media-related topics that have been designed especially for students.
PBS Parents Guide to Children and Media
http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/
Discover how TV, movies, advertising, computers and video games can shape a child's development and what you can do to create a media-literate environment.
Sesame Street: Making the Most of Kids' Screen Time
http://pbskids.org/sesame/parentsTeachers/resources_viewingTips.html
Review some media literacy basics and get tips for enhancing children's experiences with media.
Influence of Media
Affluenza
http://www.pbs.org/kcts/affluenza/
Consider how media affects "Affluenza," an unsustainable addiction to material consumption.
American Photography: A Century of Images
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/americanphotography/
Investigate how photography shaped and recorded the 20th century.
FRONTLINE: "The Killer At Thurston High"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kinkel/
Examine the influence of media violence on real-world violent acts. FRONTLINE investigates one child's story.
FRONTLINE/World: "Bhutan, the Last Place"
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bhutan/index.html
Explore what happens when television is introduced in the last TV-free environment on earth -- the remote Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas.
NOVA: "Dying To Be Thin"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/thin/
Examine how media portrayals of unhealthy body images may lead to eating disorders.
Media Industry
FRONTLINE: "American Porn"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/porn/
Explore the role that mainstream businesses like AOL, Yahoo and AT&T play in promoting porn. The Web site also examines porn-related legal cases and provides snapshots of those who profit from porn and those who consume it.
FRONTLINE: "Hackers"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hackers/
Investigate the insecurities of the Internet with this illuminating report.
FRONTLINE: "The Way the Music Died"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/music/
Follow the trajectory of the recording industry from its post-Woodstock heyday in the 1970s and 1980s to mass layoffs and bankruptcy in 2004.
MediaShift
http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/
Track how new media are changing society and culture with this blog from journalist and media expert Mark Glaser.
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: Media Watch
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/index.html
Get daily updates about the media industry, federal regulation, and consumer habits.
Media Production
Clifford: Backstage
http://pbskids.org/clifford/backstage/index.html
Help young children understand that animated programs are media constructs. Visit the Clifford studio, read about the actors and learn to draw Clifford.
Mathline: Is It Really News?
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/mathline/lessonplans/pdf/msmp/news.pdf
Use fraction and percent to determine what part of a newspaper is really news.
Mister Rogers Neighborhood: A Neighborhood Story
http://pbskids.org/rogers/make_believe/story.htm
Help preschoolers create stories by arranging scenes in any sequence and adding captions and dialogue.
Postcards From Buster
http://pbskids.org/buster/index.html
Break down the media constructs of Buster's travel diary, or blog, and the video clips on his Web site. What production techniques did he use? What stories did he choose to include or leave out?
ZOOM: Behind the Scenes
http://pbskids.org/zoom/show/index.html
Learn how the ZOOM series is made by touring the studio and getting insider information from the young cast members.
News Reporting
Flashpoints USA: The Media Today -- Truth or Lies?
http://www.pbs.org/flashpointsusa/20030916/infocus/
Take a look at factors that influence which stories make it to the front page, how the media is being consolidated into the hands of a few and how credible the news media are today.
FRONTLINE/World: "In the Line of Fire"
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/israel.palestine/index.html
Review the dilemmas and dangers reporters have faced covering the violence in the West Bank and Gaza over the past several years.
Inside Local News
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/insidelocalnews/
Find out what happens behind the scenes when a third-place newsroom in Charlotte, North Carolina, tries to climb in the ratings race while also trying to offer quality news.
P.O.V.: "War Feels Like War"
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/warfeelslikewar/
Examine the controversial practice of embedded journalism during the war in Iraq, 2003-2004.
Reporting America At War
http://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/
Explore the role of reporters and how they have shaped the ways that wars have been remembered and understood.
Wide Angle: Exclusive to al-Jazeera
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/aljazeera/index.html
Consider the impact of al-Jazeera's uncensored coverage of the Middle East. Is al-Jazeera any different from Western news networks?
Wide Angle: The Prime Minister and the Press
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/berlusconi/index.html
Examine press freedoms in Italy, where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi both runs the country and is the unrivaled owner of a vast media empire.
Wide Angle: The Russian Newspaper Murders
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/russia/index.html
Find out what Russians think about democracy and freedom of the press.
Understanding Media Messages
Art in the 21st Century: Consumption and Contemporary Art
http://www.pbs.org/art21/series/seasonone/consumption.html
Watch video clips about how artists question commonly-held assumptions about commerce, mass media and consumer society.
Between the Lions: Literacy Tips
http://pbskids.org/lions/parentsteachers/activities/literacy_tips.html
Find useful tips for breaking down the newspaper for young children, discussing TV and video programs and more.
Culture Shock
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/
Understand controversial works of art in their historical context.
Don't Buy It
http://pbskids.org/dontbuyit/
Help 9-11 year olds take a fresh and funny look at media literacy with engaging, interactive games.
FRONTLINE: "The Merchants of Cool"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/
Explore how popular culture is created and marketed to teenagers.
FRONTLINE: "The Persuaders"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/persuaders/
Discover what's going on in the world of today's marketers and advertisers. Learn about the new and surprising methods they're using to decipher who we are and what we want.
PBS Kids: Get Your Web License
http://pbskids.org/bts/license/
Learn how to evaluate Web sites and become a smart Web surfer!
ZOOM: Reviews
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/zoom/reviews/
Read kid reviews of the latest music, movies, books and television.
PBS Video Programs
In addition, many video programs are available for purchase through PBS VIDEO at http://shop2.pbs.org/.