Excessive television viewing has been linked to childhood obesity, behavioral and attention issues, reading problems and poor educational achievement. A study suggests that one promising approach for parents to curb kids' excess viewing is to focus on curtailing TV time right before bed.
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Leonore Annenberg Funds Award Five Artists Fellowships, Nine Schools Grants
Five emerging artists have been named 2015 fellows by the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts, which awards $50,000 a year for up to two years to artists who have demonstrated great talent and are on the cusp of a professional breakthrough.
Parents Need to Know That Sports and Energy Drinks Are Not Healthy for Kids
Although many public service announcements (PSAs) about sugar-sweetened beverages emphasize that the drinks are high in sugar and calories, most parents already know that, so PSAs that take this approach to curtailing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages are likely to be ineffective, a study of Philadelphia parents has found.
Gun Violence Is Not Declining, Despite Drop in Homicide Rates
In a new paper published in Human Communication Research, researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Ohio State University show that gun injury rates are a more sensitive indicator of the trend in gun violence than gun homicide rates.
‘Emotional’ Cigarette Warning Labels Affect Smokers’ Brains and Behavior
A new study suggests that using emotionally evocative images on cigarette warning labels such as rotting teeth and a diseased lung is important in making the labels more memorable and effective in conveying the risks of smoking. The study addresses a key point raised in 2012 by the U.S. courts, which ruled that the pictorial labels were unconstitutional in part because they "did not convey any information at all."
Political Attack Ads and Lincoln’s 1864 Campaign
What would the 1864 presidential campaign have looked like if Abe Lincoln and Gen. George B. McClellan had used today’s deceptive campaign techniques and video attack ads? Lincoln was reelected 150 years ago on Nov. 8, and his campaign against McClellan has been reimagined by the political literacy website FlackCheck.org through a video timeline of ads that use humor, parody, and contemporary deceptive approaches.
Overcoming the Effects of Selectively Presented Scientific Information in Partisan Media
Scientists can minimize the likelihood that their message will be rejected in a politically polarized environment by avoiding advocacy, relying on trusted sources, and inviting the audience to understand the evidence that justifies the scientific conclusion, according to a new study by Annenberg Public Policy Center researchers published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It showed that conservatives were able to draw the correct inferences about the downward trend in the Arctic sea ice despite exposure to a misleading Fox News report.