JCCF NEWS SUMMARY
May 9, 2012

 

Happy Mother's Day
  Image courtesy of The Seattle Times

 

 

According to Save the Children's annual State of the World's Mothers report, the U.S. is the 25th best place to be a mom among developed nations. Among industrial nations, it is the least friendly to breastfeeding. 

 

This Mother's Day, two radio programs offer different perspectives on what it means to be a mom in the U.S. 

 

"Calls from Home: Mama's Day Special," will connect mothers behind bars to messages from their families in a special broadcast.

 

BackStory with the American History Guys presents "Born in the USA: A History of Birth." Topics tackled include midwifery in colonial America to changing ideas about babies and when life begins. 

  

Jump to:

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headlinesNEWS OF NOTE

 

Birth-Control Laws Set Bait for 'Millennial' Voters

Women's eNews, Samantha Kimmey | May 9, 2012

Pro-choice activists and Democratic leaders are aiming voter drives at women between 18 and 30, a group they perceive to be super-sensitive to GOP efforts to curb access to contraception.

 

Disappointment, Uncertainty for North Carolina Same-Sex Couples

CNN, InAmerica, Stephanie Siek | May 9, 2012

North Carolina is the 31st state to ban same-sex marriage. Lesbian and gay parents worry about the message the constitutional amendment sends to their children.

 

When Parents Split, Preschoolers Show Behavior Problems

USA Today, Sharon Jayson | May 7, 2012

Research suggests that changes to family structure during the preschool years may matter more than in later years.

 

Parents Struggle to Get Help for Children with Mental Illness, Disabilities

The Times of Northwest Indiana, Marisa Kwiatkowski | May 5, 2012

Indiana parents and mental health officials complain there is a multi-agency failure to provide more intensive services for children with severe mental illnesses or disabilities.

 

Babies Start Acting Racist Before They Can Talk

Good Magazine, Amanda Hess | May 4, 2012

New research on human development suggests exposing infants to a diversity of people will help immunize them against racial stereotyping.

 

Immigrants' Greatest Potential Ally - American Women (Opinion)

New America Media, Elena Shore | May 4, 2012

The Latina mother -- who has the power to change the demographics of the U.S. through childbirth -- has become the target of a new wave of legislation. American women of all backgrounds have the power to stop a humanitarian crisis, Elena Shore writes.

 

Rethinking (Instead of Eliminating) Recess at Low-Income Schools

The Atlantic, Esther Entin | May 3, 2012

Just as academic, budgetary and overcrowding issues have conspired to reduce recess, research has been highlighting its value.

 

Thousands Join Girl in Urging Seventeen Magazine to Publish Unedited Images

The Guardian, Karen McVeigh | May 3, 2012

Teenage girls are petitioning a popular U.S. magazine to publish authentic images instead of pictures of young women photoshopped to look thinner and have unblemished skin.

 

Hennepin County Tries Special Court for Never-Married Parents

Minnesota Public Radio, Sasha Aslanian | May 2, 2012

Hennepin County, Minn. Judge Bruce Peterson created the Co-Parent court to help unmarried parents better share duties and ultimately improve outcomes for their children.


 

 

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Events
EVENTS
 
May 10, 3:00 p.m. EST
White House Council on Women & Girls, MomsRising, Mocha Moms and Mamiverse
Online
Join MomsRising, Mocha Moms and Mamiverse to celebrate motherhood online. Tweet questions about education and healthy families to senior White House officials. Follow the chat hashtag #MomsAtTheWH. 
 
May 11, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. EST
American Enterprise Institute
Washington, D.C. or live video streaming
Are the uncertainties faced by private employers -- on taxes, regulation and other costs -- responsible for the slow recovery of employment? Participants will discuss new research and Stan Veuger of AEI will describe the uncertainty index that has been developed by AEI economists and others.
 
May 11, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. EST
Center for American Progress
Washington, D.C. 
Jim Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media and the author of Talking Back to Facebook, offers a comprehensive guide to the online world, media and mobile devices for parents and educators raising kids in the digital age. 

 

May 16, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. EST
New America Foundation
Washington, D.C. 
As research continues to highlight the importance of early child care and education, figuring out how to provide more families with quality care has become one of the great challenges of social and family policy. Panelists and policy experts will discuss how to address this challenge. 
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OPPORTUNITIES
 

Youth Communication Summer Writing Workshop
Deadline: May 11
Youth Communication
New York residents ages 15 to 20 qualify for Youth Communication's 33rd annual intensive summer writing workshop. Participants will write memoir-style and reported stories. The workshop includes one-on-one mentoring from a professional editor. No prior journalism experience is required.
 

The Spark Opportunity Challenge

Deadline: May 15

SparkAction

The SparkOpportunity Challenge asks young people to share their ideas on how to create local jobs and opportunities for their peers. Submit a video or write a short proposal and upload it to the SparkOpportunity websiteWinners will receive small start-up grants, an iPad and mentoring. There is no age limit to participate, although some of the awards target youth under age 24. 

 

 

Deadline: May 18
Feet in 2 Worlds
The weekend workshop for immigrant and ethnic media journalists in New York City will focus on developing audio skills and refining story pitches. Participants will gain hands-on experience in audio field recording and digital audio editing. Attendance is free, but is based on acceptance of your application. 

 

 

Deadline: May 28
International Center for Journalists and Scripps Howard Foundation

The immigration reporting program brings together journalists from the U.S. Spanish and English-language media for a week-long training on how to cover immigration issues using multimedia tools. The 2012 program will have a special focus on the U.S. presidential election and immigration.

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ABOUT THE JCCF NEWS SUMMARY

Mina Dixon, Editor 


The Journalism Center on Children & Families, a program of the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism, is a national nonprofit organization committed to supporting media coverage of children, youth and families, particularly the disadvantaged. The JCCF News Summary helps journalists and others keep in touch with the latest news, policy analysis and research reports on critical social issues that impact families and communities. We encourage redistribution of this material with credit given to the Journalism Center on Children & Families.

Journalists are encouraged to submit their stories for consideration for publication in the JCCF News Summary and on our website. Please send story links to: [email protected]. Stories should be archived and free of access charges for at least seven days.
 
JCCF thanks The Annie E. Casey Foundation for its generous support of our work.
 
www.journalismcenter.org

 

Minding the Kids   
Center Director Julie Drizin's latest column provoked a vibrant conversation on The New York Times's Motherlode blog 
   


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