Blog 5- Draft 1

Annotated Bibliography

How does the media portray teenagers and how does it affect them?

1.              Males, Mike A. "Bashing Youth." F.A.I.R.- Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting. N.p., Mar. 1994. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

            The article entitled Bashing Youth, by Mike Males, uncovers “media myths” about teenagers.  Males dispels multiple myths regarding the negative stereotypes the media portrays such as teenage sex and violence.  He states that most sexually transmitted diseases and abortions result from adult/teen sex but are labeled and headlined as “teenage” VD, AIDS, and abortion.  Males cites many articles including Newsweek’s “Teens and AIDS,” Time’s “Kids, Sex &Values,” and  U.S. News & World Report’s “Teenage Sex: Just  Say Wait.”  What these articles don’t include is how some of these pregnant teens have a history of being physically and sexually abused, come from disadvantaged families, and are impregnated by men.  Teenage Violence is portrayed similarly by the media.  Newsweek’s “Teen Violence: Wild in the Streets” and “Kids and Guns,” U.S. News’s “When Killers Come to Class” and Time’s “Big Shots”  are a few publications that give emphasis on “teen” violence.  The media blames today’s youth for the crime rate but doesn’t give the same attention to adult violence against youth.

            Mike A. Males worked with young teens and families in social programs and in the Youth Conservation Corps for twelve years before returning to the University of California in 1994.  In 1996, his book, The Scapegoat Generation, was published.  This book examined the way American adults perceive the youth and explained these “myths.”  In 1999, he completed a Ph.D. Social Ecology at UC Irvine.  Males has written multiple articles on youth issues for peer-reviewed journals such as The Lancet, Scribner’s Encyclopedia of Violence in America, Suicide % Life-Threatening Behavior, and many more. He has also had articles published in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post.  Males has written many books such as Framing Youth: Ten Myths about the Next Generation (1998), Smoked: Why Joe Camel is Still Smiling (1999), and Kids and Guns: How Politicians, Experts, and the Press Fabricate Fear of Youth (2000).  He is now a senior researcher for the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, teaches sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. This information is important in answering my question because Males simply states the myth then dismisses it while backing it up with other sources.

2.         Faulkner, Sean. "Adolescence and the Portrayal of Teens in Film and Television." Community Counseling Center: Center for Child and Family Development. N.p., 29 July 2009. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

            This article depicts the negative stereotypes that movies and television create.  Films present situations in which young teenagers may relate- high school, drama, relationships, parties, conflicts and more.  Most movies and television shows include sex, alcohol and drugs because “in the eyes of Hollywood, these are the cornerstone of adolescence.”  These shows and movies give teens a bad reputation and therefore are resented and looked down upon by adults. These shows and movies have a negative effect on the psychological and emotional development of teenagers. Because so much sex is shown, teens feel their lives aren’t normal unless they are having sex.  Although certain films and shows have a negative effect on the emotional growth of teens, according to a study conducted by Jeanne Steele (2002), movies play an important role in the life of a teenager because they provide an opportunity for teens to see different parts of the world in which they may never be able to see if it weren’t for television. The portrayal of teens in the media can have a huge impact on teens, negatively affecting their psychological and emotional growth but somewhat positively affecting their cognitive development.

            Sean Faulkner, author of “Adolescence and the Portrayal of Teens in Film and Television,” received his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Sonoma State University then earned his Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of San Francisco. He is a California registered Marriage and Family therapist intern. He was one of the two Graduate Merit Scholarship Awardees’ at the USF Center for Child and Family Development for two years, where he previously volunteered for over a year. Currently, Faulkner is an intern at a Catholic school in San Francisco and works with the Collaborative Autism Training and Support (CATS) Program in Sonoma County.