Fair Media Council CEO Jaci Clement gives five tips for families managing news about Ukraine. Limit kids to one hour of news at a time, talk openly about what they see, and check in on how it makes them feel. She warns that heavy media exposure during 9/11 scarred a generation.
FMC Fast Chat takes you inside the news so you can be in the know in 30 minutes. Hosted by Fair Media Council CEO and Executive Director Jaci Clement, Fast Chat features notables in news, media, and business.
Welcome to a special episode of FMC Fast Chat. This is Jaci Clement, CEO and Executive Director of the Fair Media Council. Today I wanted to speak with you directly, which makes you my guest. The reason for this special episode is to give you some tips to help your family for dealing with the news, and in particular, the news coverage of the war in the Ukraine. Before I begin, let me be clear. I'm not here to tell you what news outlets you should or shouldn't pay attention to. I am here to help you navigate what's out there. And provide you with some tips to help you and your family when the news is severe and even upsetting. So let's begin. Tip 1 is to be mindful of the news in your house. If you're like most people, you turn on the TV or a news radio station and simply leave it on. Essentially, it becomes background noise as you go about doing other things. But if you have small children in the house, What you need to be mindful of is that they are actively absorbing that information, and if they are playing in the living room in front of the television, the news is showing bombs going off and the sounds of sirens blaring, then please understand this: to a small child, that scene isn't happening in a far-off location. To a small child, it's happening right in the living room. And if you have a big-screen TV and surround sound, then you are bringing the war to life in your own home in dramatic fashion. This can be quite scary for children and cause them to feel unsafe in their own homes. One of the lessons we learned from news coverage of 9/11 is that the children that were exposed to those images and videos are now considered to be what is sometimes called the scarred generation. Those children are today's millennials, And safety isn't something they take for granted as previous generations of Americans did. If your children are online and using social media, you also want to be mindful of what they may come across in terms of images and videos of the war. Of course, it is up for you to decide just how much of the news you want your child to see and hear. What's important is to realize they are actively paying attention to things you may be tuning out. And now that you know how important it is to be mindful of the news of the day, tip 2 is to monitor the news and decide what you think is appropriate for your children to know. Adjust your news consumption accordingly. That may mean less TV time or less time on the computer, and if so, consider this an opportunity for more family time and carve out a space in your daily routine for activities that reinforce you are there for your kids. Tip 3, take stock of how much time you're spending on a daily basis following the news coverage. It's typical for families to spend upwards of 8 hours a day watching television, sometimes as much as 12 hours a day. Now, in times of war coverage, it's more important than ever to set limits and take breaks from the news. As a general guideline, spend no more than 1 hour at a time watching, reading, or listening to the news. Once you get beyond that 1-hour mark, it's common for people to feel depressed or anxious or stressed out, so don't let the news impact your life in this way. It's simply unhealthy. One of the things people often do is sit down on the couch and turn on the 24-hour cable news, and they just keep watching because the news just never stops. The thing to remember is today's news formats are highly repetitive. That means you don't have to worry about missing out on something important. That news will be replayed over and over, and it will be available online and on demand. You'll probably even get a breaking news alert on your phone. So the fear of missing out does not apply to today's media landscape. Check in on the news for a few minutes at a time throughout the day. The top of the hour. is where the most important news is reported. So let that information help you decide when to check in on the news. So tip 3 is this: take control of when you let the news into your life and give yourself a break from the news. Spend more time with the family, go walk the dog, get to the gym, whatever. Remember, the news will be there. You won't be missing out on anything. Tip 4 is to discuss what's happening in the news, especially if you have children. It's important to ask them what they think is going on. Use their perspectives to help you monitor the news you let into the house and when. Don't assume you know what they are thinking. You need to ask them. And now tip 5 dovetails from tip 4, and it's this: be sure to ask your kids the news makes them feel. This is very important because they may not know how to articulate and process their own feelings without your help. After all, images of war and man's inhumanity to man are frightening even to the strongest of adults. That's why it's so important to take control of your news habits in times like these and protect your family, especially your kids. So then let's recap. Tip 1, be mindful of what's in the news. Tip 2, monitor the news for what's appropriate and what's not for your children. Tip 3, take scheduled breaks from the news. Tip 4, discuss what's in the news to help your children understand the news. And tip 5, discuss how the news makes your children feel. And reassure your children they are safe. So that's it for now. What you want to remember is that news and information is meant to empower you. Until the next episode of FMC Fast Chat, this is Jaci Clement. Thank you for spending this time with me today. I hope it was helpful, and if you think so, please share this episode with your friends and family. Take care, stay safe.
Bye.
And may your children's children never know war. If you'd like more tips for navigating the news, you can find them on our website at fairmediacouncil.org. And if you have any questions, please email me at jaci@fairmediacouncil.org. And if you think becoming an educated news consumer is important in today's society, then please get involved at the Fair Media Council. Thank you.
The Fair Media Council is a 501 nonprofit organization advocating for quality news and working to create A media-savvy society. For more information about the Fair Media Council and upcoming Fast Chat shows, check out fairmediacouncil.org. This podcast is a part of the C-Suite Radio Network. For more top business podcasts, visit c-suite-radio.com.
