As election day gradually becomes a
reality rather than a mere hot topic for discussion, everyone is becoming more
and more interested in the two candidates: current Democratic President Obama
and Republican Mitt Romney. Now, kids are also excited to learn more about the
future leaders of our countries which is displayed by Nick News, a Lucky Duck production
that has been running for 21 years. On October 15th, the children's network
will showcase a TV special titled "Kids Pick the President: The
Candidates", which focuses on interviewing the presidential candidates
about specific topics such as obesity, immigration, and bullying. Yet, unlike
President Obama, Republican Mitt Romney will not be able to be part of the show
due to previous scheduling commitments. Linda Ellerbee, the host of the show,
commented on Romney's absence by stating: "We are disappointed that Mitt
Romney wouldn't take the time to answer the questions..." Still, the show
will go on since President Obama agreed to do the interview, and in Romney's
case, the network simply decided to use clips about his campaign that address
the requested topics.
I felt this article was very
important because the election is very close so such topics need to be
discussed. Sometimes in the news, the bigger topics such as the recession are
addressed by the presidential candidates and so the weaker points are dismissed
although they still hold the same value. Yet, by having a children's network
such as Nick News take an interest on the overshadowed topics such as bullying,
the discussion is set to be ready which also attracts young kids.
As a student, this impacted me
because the show gives me a chance to learn more about the plans of my
country's future leaders. Although I am still too young to vote, I can still
form an opinion from the new knowledge I acquire. I believe it is always good
to learn because that makes one more aware of such important news so that one
is neither completely clueless nor ignorant.
As a future filmmaker, this news
makes me realize that the world is always changing and which gives me more
freedom regarding what I want my audience to be aware of. It is always nice to
create a film in which fantasy dominates the story, yet it is still necessary
for reality to have a place in films and shows to better communicate with the
audience. So by having shows such as Nick News, it inspires me as a future
filmmaker to keep these topics in mind so I do not forget to inform my audience
on such important events because it truly makes a difference.
As a consumer, this affected me
because I am interested in the plans of the presidential candidates so I will
try to watch the show. The show also attracts more people because it holds a
poll that predicts the ultimate winner, which has been correct 5 out of 6
times. So it will be nice to see if this year will result in another favorable
win for the Nick News Poll.
After reading this article, I
wondered if people realize the true affect media has on young kids. Even though
they may not have been too keen on the constant reporting of Obama and Romney,
they might experience a change of heart after watching the show. I also wonder
if this will somehow hurt or affect Romney in some way because although kids do
not vote, they can have powerful voices at home. As Linda Ellerbee said:
"By answering kids' questions directly [the interviews], candidates show respect for
kids."
I think it's great that even children are being educated about politics. Personally, I'm not really much of a political person. I just let them do their own things. But then again, maybe it's because I wasn't really around people who cared about politics when I was younger. Maybe by influencing children to be aware of politics, they'll go up to actually care about it, unlike myself.
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