Houghton Mifflin brings execution horror into classrooms

September 3, 2014 by

"Houghton Mifflin's Channel One News makes the execution of James Foley the top news story for students down to the third grade. Picture of executioner holding the knife that beheads James Foley is shown to middle school students." Read more: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: captive audience, commercialization of childhood, health issues, industry self-regulation, marketing gone too far, marketing sex and violence to children, media gone too far, media policy, People taking action, technology in schools, violence in the media

Online roundup: Disney critique, food marketing, modeling bad taste, women (not) on big screen, stereotypes hurt boys

June 19, 2013 by

Every week I read compelling stories online that I usually find via Twitter and then share via Twitter. To make sure my precious blog readers don't miss these great pieces, I'm going to try to post excerpts from the best more frequently. Modern … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Disneyfication, gender stereotyping, girls and women in media, health issues, industry self-regulation, marketing gone too far, marketing to children, Media literacy

The latest on marketing unhealthy food to children

April 3, 2013 by

PD, 14 years old, pulled a box of Rice Krispies off the shelf and put it into our shopping cart. I glimpsed the cartoon characters and was just thinking about objecting, when he said, “You would think these would have a lot of sugar” – because of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: health issues, industry self-regulation, marketing to children, Positive marketing and media series

Clydesdales at the Superbowl: Does Budweiser market its beer directly to kids?

March 6, 2013 by

Did you see the Budweiser ad during the SuperBowl that featured a heartwarming story about a horse who remembered the many who helped to raise and train it? It was a touching story. See if you can recognize the persuasive technique, via the Media … [Read more...]

Filed Under: commercialization of childhood, health issues, industry self-regulation, marketing to children, Media literacy