Mar. 17, 2000


Kids Speak Out, A Nickelodeon TV News Special Taped In Low Library, Airs March 19 At 8:30 PM

Linda Ellerbee was host for a Nick News Special Edition: Kids Pick the Issues, which was taped at Columbia before an audience of over 250 kids, parents, teachers. A panel of 35 kids joined Ellerbee on stage.

As the country prepares itself for the first presidential election of the 21st Century, most kids are saying they never want to be President. Kids are also saying schools may not be safe, the news is the "scariest thing" on television, and racism is still a big issue. Now, people in power are listening. These are just a few of the surprising viewpoints kids expressed on Nickelodeon's Nick News Special Edition: Kids Pick the Issues premiering on Sunday, March 19 at 8:30 p.m. The special was videotaped in Low Library and was hosted at the university by Columbia's Office of Community Affairs.

The special kicks off the network's "Kids Pick the President Campaign."

The show was taped before an audience of over 250 kids, parents, teachers, and a panel of 35 kids were on stage with the show's host, Linda Ellerbee. In the special, kids were asked a series of questions by some of the most prominent people in power today, via pre-taped segments, including:

  • Oprah Winfrey - Anorexia and obesity are at all-time highs, so how do we send a message to you that you are okay the way you are, but you should still exercise and be healthy?
  • Tom Brokaw - Have you ever encountered racial or religious bigotry in school?
  • Diane Sawyer - Do you think violence in movies really affects you?
  • Peter Jennings - What can we do to be better at our jobs?
  • First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton - What do you think the government and political leaders can do to make sure that all children in America have the same opportunities to fulfill their own potential?
  • Senator Ted Kennedy - How important is it for every family to have health insurance?
  • Rosie O'Donnell - Should there be a law against owning guns? If kids can't vote, then why should politicians care what you have to say?

Other guests offering questions were Dan Rather, Rev. Jerry Falwell, Fred Rogers, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, Ben & Jerry, Marian Wright Edelman, Sen. Arlen Spector and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com.

The topics yielded some surprising answers from the panel. During the most controversial issue, gun violence, kids were divided on gun ownership and whether the user or the weapon were to blame. The panel was also outspoken about media violence, claiming the scariest program on television is the news. Additionally, kids held decidedly different points of view on the Confederate flag debate and the impact of media violence on behavior.

Kids also expressed concerns over self image, and the problems that can come from not feeling as if they meet the media's portrayal of the "perfect image." And most importantly, with all of the issues that confront the President and the lack of privacy involved with the position, most kids stated they would not want to be President. They feel the President can almost never be right, regardless of the choices or decisions he makes, and would like to see someone in office who acts on the promises he makes during the campaign.

"Kids speak from the heart," says Ellerbee. "And, if what they say often surprises the rest of us, it's only that we don't spend enough time listening to them."

In addition to the special, Nickelodeon will conduct a series of national polls that continue monitoring kids' opinions throughout the election year as part of the "Kids Pick the President Campaign" initiative. The results of these polls will be featured on regularly scheduled episodes of Nick News and "Kids Pick the President" interstitials on Nickelodeon's air.

A lesson plan based on Nick News Special Edition: Kids Pick the Issues will be available on teachers.nick.com, Nickelodeon's Web site for educators. Additionally, the special will air in Nickelodeon's Cable in the Classroom programming block in two parts. Part I will air on Monday, April 10 and Monday, April 24. Part II will air Wednesday, April 12 and Wednesday, April 26.