JCCF NEWS SUMMARY
April 5, 2013

What We're Watching
Courtesy of Andrew Hida 

 

The National Press Photographers Association named the honorees of its annual awards program last week and there's an abundance of powerful photojournalism to be explored on their website.

 

Freelance journalist Andrew Hida's "Follow My Steps," which placed second in NPPA's documentary multimedia category, is a quietly compelling account of the friendship between 13-year-old Andrew and 21-year-old Tony. Andrew was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy and uses a powered wheel chair to navigate the world; Tony was born with brittle bone disease. Hida never strays into sentimental territory, instead choosing to focus on their day-to-day activities.

 

"They're entering puberty, going through adolescence--they're facing all the same milestones [as their peers]," Hida told JCCF in a phone interview.

 

Hida started following Andrew and Tony's friendship in October 2010. He continues to travel to shoot stills and film the two friends, their families and their power soccer team. He envisions this being a multi-year, long-form project.

 

Like many journalists who find themselves engaged in long projects, Hida found developing relationships with the families to be key. Andrew's father was initially skeptical.

 

"The big thing was knowing when to put the camera away and not be a reporter, but just be a person. There's nothing quite like hanging out to build trust," he said.

 

"Follow My Steps" will be featured on Duke University Medical Center's "Documenting Medicine" website. View more of Hida's work.

 

 

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Washington, D.C.-area students, advocates and journalists are invited to join the Journalism Center on Children & Families April 8 at 3:30 p.m. for #FamilySolutions: ProTips from a CNN Correspondent.

 

#FamilySolutions is an award-winning multiplatform series created by Created by CNN Correspondent Lisa Sylvester and (former) CNN Photojournalist and Multimedia Producer Bethany Swain, who is now a faculty member at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism. 

 

This all-woman and all-mom team produced six compelling stories highlighting issues important to families. Bethany and Lisa will share tips about storytelling, working as a team, creating multiplatform projects, and talk about the impact of this series. Lisa will also speak about her experience as a network anchor and reporter and offer advice for future journalists. Read more.
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NewsNEWS OF NOTE

 

Uninformed and Under-supported

The Chronicle of Social Change, Daniel Heimpel | April 5

California's public child welfare system--like other states in the country--is devoid of any comprehensive policy to address the heightened rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease among current and former foster youth.

D.C. Students Use Photography To Protest School Security
The Washington Post, Annie Gowen | April 4
Students, with the help of youth media group Critical Exposure, have armed themselves with cameras to say that their learning environment has been scarred by relentless security.

Atlanta Cheating Scandal Reverberates
Education Week, Lesli A. Maxwell | April 4
Education leaders say the fallout from the Atlanta schools cheating scandal could potentially undermine efforts in other school districts to improve the academic achievement of poor and minority students.

A Youth Perspective on Marriage Equality (Opinion)

Coachella (Calif.) Unincorporated, Alejandra Alarcon | April 3

For Alejandra, the fight for marriage equality and gay rights is about fighting for an end to discrimination in all forms.

 

Help Shrinks as Poverty Spikes in the U.S.

Yahoo! News/Associated Press, Steven R. Hurst | April 2

Advocates say the national belt-tightening caused by the federal sequester will squeeze services for the poor just as people are slowly climbing out of the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression.

 

Sex Offender Halfway Home Holds 'Open House'

KING-TV 5 (Seattle), Elisa Hahn | April 2

Sex offender halfway houses aim to re-integrate convicted sex offenders back into society. The director of Unity House in south Seattle believes that a successful halfway house engages the community and makes neighbors feel comfortable and safe.

 

Restorative Justice: One High School's Path to Reducing Suspensions by Half

Christian Science Monitor, Stacy Teicher Khandaroo | March 31

The Oakland Unified School District in California is embracing new strategies as it attempts a seismic shift in the culture of discipline--from punitive to preventive. One tough school has cut suspensions in half in just a year by using a restorative justice program.

 

In My Twin Sister's Rape, There Were Many Victims (Opinion)

The Washington Post, Christa Parravani | March 28

Whatever the grisly statistics, the number of people damaged by rape is much higher. Christa Parravani knows that math intimately.

 

Ali Forney Center Asks Religious Parents to End Abuse of LGBT Youth

The Advocate, Sunnivie Brydum | March 28

New York City's Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBT youth is taking on religion-based familial rejection.

 

The Weeklies

The American Prospect, Monica Potts | March 26

The recession has turned formerly financially stable families into the new homeless, leaving many in motels where they pay for their rooms by the week.

 

The Secret to Fixing School Discipline Problems? Change the Behavior of Adults

 ACEs Too High, Jane Stevens | March 20, 2013
According to the latest data from schools nationwide, when teachers and administrators adopt a supportive, solution-oriented approach to school discipline, kids stop acting out in class.

Leaving the Shelter Doubled My GPA (Opinion)

Represent Magazine, Marlo Scott | Spring 2013

Marlo has never lived in one place for very long. He knows that stable home environment is key to personal and academic success.

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EventsEVENTS

 
April 8, 12 p.m. 
Reach Out and Read
Washington, D.C.
A Capitol Hill briefing to discuss brain development, literacy acquisition, parental engagement and the vital importance of the first 1,000 days of a child's life for ensuring school success.

April 9, 1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. ET
America's Promise Alliance
The webinar will highlight leaders from Baltimore, Los Angeles and New York, who have rallied their communities to promote and improve student attendance. An online toolkit will provide resources for joining Attendance Awareness Month this September.

April 10, 4 p.m. ET
Scenarios USA
Scenarios's USA April webinars will provide resources and tools to help engage youth in thinking and writing creatively about power-based violence, gender-based violence and sexual assault prevention. In this presentation, hear from youth about how a culture of power and control impacts their communities and lives.

April 11, 12 - 1:30 p.m. 
American Enterprise Institute
Washington, D.C. or webcast
The authors of the new book "The Declining Importance of Race and Gender in the Labor Market" will discuss wage gaps and how policymakers should address the roots of these gaps. 
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Opportunities
OPPORTUNITIES
 
 
Deadline: April 10
The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships at USC Annenberg
Twenty journalists from around the country will be chosen for the all-expenses-paid five-day fellowship, which will explore the links between place and health. Each fellow will receive a grant of $2,000-$10,000 to support an ambitious health reporting project.  

 

Deadline: April 15
Recognizes excellence in original nonfiction narrative. Open to students enrolled in high school, college or graduate school who create a nonfiction multimedia narrative.
 
Deadline: April 15
A $10,000 fellowship to enhance public understanding of mental health issues and combat stigma against people with mental illnesses. 

 

Deadline: April 25
Street Sense
Honors reporting that changes perceptions about Washington, D.C.-area homelessness. The categories include breaking news, investigative/feature stories, opinion/columns and photography. For more information, email [email protected]  
 
Deadline: May 24
The Marguerite Casey Foundatoin
Fellows will write at least one in-depth story or series that illustrates how language, culture and race influence public attitudes and policy about poor people.  
 
Deadline: Ongoing
Poynter's News University and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center
A free, self-directed course covering the complex topic of sexual violence. 
 
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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

 

The Associated Press dropped "illegal immigrant" this week. Will you? Last year, AP answered Julie Drizin's call to put the kibosh on the expression "illegitimate child." Drizin weighed in on the power of journalists' words here.

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