For Immediate Release
April 17, 2003

Seminars for Print and Broadcast Journalists on Covering Health and Childhood Development Launched by Children’s Futures

(Trenton, NJ)--Covering childhood development, health and survival issues from prenatal through the crucially important toddler years will be the focus of an ongoing series of practical seminars for print and broadcast journalists in New Jersey sponsored by “Children’s Futures”, a nonprofit initiative in Trenton supported by a $20 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Cosponsors of the continuing professional education series which begins on June 19 include the New Jersey Press Association, the Rutgers University School of Communication, Information and Library Services (SCILS), and its Journalism Resources Institute (JRI).

The seminar series is being developed and administered by Jerome Aumente, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at SCILS, in Rutgers ,the State University of New Jersey. Aumente was founding director of the Journalism Resources Institute (JRI) and founding chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, both in SCILS. Over 14,000 journalists in New Jersey, nationally and internationally participated in past JRI programs during his tenure.

Children’s Futures, with major support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a nationally significant initiative to target every new born child in the city of Trenton and comprehensively provide each with a healthy environment. It is supporting parent-child development centers in the city’s four wards; parenting skills; health services, and leadership training skills. Teens in the schools and community are getting special attention in an effort to offset unplanned pregnancies and reduce sexually transmitted diseases. The Trenton initiative could be the model for programs elsewhere.

Rush L. Russell, President of Children’s Futures said:” Children’s Futures is pleased to support this program geared to enhance journalist’s understanding of the many issues involving early childhood health and development. We hope this training results in improved public understanding through the media about early childhood issues and the opportunities for improvement.”

“Reporting effectively on healthy childhood development requires the news media to master a complex range of issues involving prenatal and post natal care, family parenting skills, and myriad problems : unplanned teen pregnancies; drug abuse; poverty, lack of education, spouse and child abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS” Aumente said. “It is a major continuing health story affecting the cities, suburbs and rural areas of New Jersey, with vast implications for budgets and policymaking at the local, state and national levels.”

Melinda W. Green, Vice President for Children’s Futures said: “It is important that parents and the community understand the links between the experiences of early childhood and the future success of our children. Informed media coverage of early childhood health and development issues can bring about greater awareness in both the general community and with our policymakers.”

The seminars, limited by invitation to no more than 20 print and broadcast journalists at each, and beginning on June 19, 2003, will provide the participants with access to the latest research and findings in childhood development with health specialists, policymakers, government officials and community leaders interacting.

“The focus will be on identifying important story ideas and future trends for reporters to watch, and finding ways to put a ‘human face’ on statistics that translate into either terrible childhood suffering and needless deaths or wonderful examples of communities turning around these tragedies,” Aumente said.

“The idea is to tap into the significant knowledge and information being amassed locally in this important effort, and examine implications for other communities in New Jersey and nationally,” Aumente said. “It will give newspaper, magazine, television, radio and Internet journalists valuable new tools to cover childhood development.”

The New Jersey Press Association (NJPA) through its executive director, John J. O’Brien is a cosponsor of the seminars and he will be a speaker at the inaugural seminar.

Professor John Pavlik, Aumente’s successor as JRI director and journalism department chair, has endorsed the childhood development seminar series and will involve his units. Dean Gus Friedrich, dean of SCILS, has pledged his personal involvement and the support of the school in the seminar project as a cosponsor. Both will also be speakers at the June session.

The first seminar for daily and weekly newspaper reporters and editors, television and radio journalists will be on Thursday, June 19, at the Marriott Lafayette Yard Conference Center, 1 West Lafayette St., Trenton, from 9:30 to 4 pm. Seminar materials, and a luncheon will be provided, and all development and registration costs will be covered by Children’s Futures, a project supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The morning session will focus on important trends in childhood development, and how to turn these into compelling stories for newspaper readers, television and radio audiences in localities throughout New Jersey. The afternoon session will include educators and a panel of seasoned journalists identifying ways to improve coverage of child health and development. The results will be shared with news organizations throughout New Jersey and nationally via practical story tip sheets and memos distributed through the Internet.

“There are many positive trends in the effort to improve the lives of babies and young children and we want to show what can be done when communities in the public and private sector join together to solve the many challenges facing families and single parents today.” Aumente said. “This is especially true of disadvantaged, poor communities, but it applies to every urban and suburban setting in different degrees.”

Aumente said the next seminar planned for October 2003 , will help journalists track key legislative and policymaking actions in Trenton and Washington that will impact on the health and welfare of children, and families. Health insurance, pre-school support, nutrition, the effects of unemployment, poor housing and social concerns will be considered. How to find, report and explain meaningful statistics will be also highlighted.

Based on the June and October seminars, additional workshops and training for journalists will be designed for the year 2004. Aumente is also helping Children’s Futures consider practical communication workshops so that community agencies can interact more effectively with the news media.

A seminar for high school and college newspaper editors and reporters showing ways to cover stories of interest to young people such as unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, improved parenting skills and more informed life choices is also being considered.

The seminars will be dynamic and interactive. Drawing from Aumente’s past seminar experiences, they will offer an environment for journalists, specialists in health and childhood development, government officials, community agencies and leaders to explore additional story ideas, innovative approaches, networking and mutual understanding of the issues. Ethical issues, press freedom and press responsibility will be considered in the coverage of highly sensitive community and child development concerns.

Contacts and seminar registration:
For further information and to register for the seminars, news organizations and individual print and broadcast journalists should contact Professor Emeritus Jerome Aumente c/o Melinda Green, Vice President, at Children’s Futures, 28 West State St., Suite 305, Trenton, NJ 08608. Tel: 609/695-1977, ext.102. Fax: 609/695-5392.
e-mail: mgreen@childrensfutures.org

Direct telephone and mail contaact for Professor Aumente : Tel: 540/635-6395.
Direct mailing address: Long Mountain, 617 Seven Oaks Drive, Bentonville, Virginia 22610
E-mail: aumente@scils.rutgers.edu