Media Campaign Update

ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY OUTREACH

From http://www.mediacampaign.org/inthenews/update7.html

Pop culture often perpetuates myths about drugs and drug use. On television, in films and in song lyrics, the use of drugs is frequently portrayed as glamorous, normal, a part of the everyday existence of many.

(Marijuananews note: It should be obvious from this statement why the prohibitionist propaganda machine can pay only lip service to alcohol and tobacco abuse.)

See
A Proposal For A Rational Allocation Of Drug Education Budgets
Based On The Harm Done By Various Substances -- Analysis By Richard Cowan

As a major influence in the lives of young people, the entertainment community is in a unique and powerful position to communicate to America's youth that most kids are not using drugs and that drug use is not normal.

See
College Athletes Drink Most; Sending The Wrong Message?
"Athletes are influenced by sports-heavy alcohol advertising."
and
Cannabis Use So Commonplace Among British Schoolchildren
That It Is No Longer Regarded As An Act Of Rebellion, UK Drugs Tsar Admits

The Media Campaign, working with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, is engaging the entertainment industry as part of the solution.
See
Associated Press Reports Uncritically On A Partnership For A Drug-Free America Survey On Kids’ Marijuana Use
and
When The Partnership For A Marijuana-Free America Speaks,
The Media For A Marijuana-Free America Parrots.
Widely Reported Press Release About Kids and "Drugs" Mentions Marijuana 29 Times, Alcohol 0!
The Campaign's strategy leverages pop culture's visibility, credibility and influence with audiences. Additional strategies include literally surrounding teens with vital drug use prevention messages, providing adults with practical information to help them raise drug-free kids, and encourage accurate portrayal of drug issues in entertainment media.
See
Page On The Drug Czar’s Web Site—Projectknow.Com—Is Called "True Lies" And It Truly Is

• Incorporate drug prevention messages and themes into popular culture. Dispel myths and misconceptions of drug use issues.
• Encourage accurate depictions of drug use issues, including consequences of drug abuse, in programming popular with teens.
• De-normalize the image of drug use on TV, and in popular music and film.
  See
  Devastating Critique Of The Hypocrisy Of UK Drugs Policy In Sunday Times Magazine;
  Drug Tsar Says Cannabis Users Are "Zombies."
• Utilize entertainment media to provide information and resources on substance abuse to parents, youth-influential adults and policymakers.

• Provide resources and information on substance abuse to the creative community via briefings, script reviews, special events, collateral materials and access to experts.
• Engage celebrities who are positive role models in extending the reach of Campaign messages.
• Participate in and host entertainment industry events.
• Develop public service messages in collaboration with major media outlets.
• Recognize and commend accurate portrayals of drug issues on TV, film and in other entertainment media, and honor the creative efforts of writers, directors, producers, actors and creative executives.
• Conduct content analysis and other research to determine how entertainment media depict substance abuse issues.

• ONDCP has held numerous briefings with the Hollywood entertainment community on Campaign themes and messages to encourage accurate depictions of substance use and abuse in TV, film and music.
• The Campaign has brought together producers, writers, directors, and creative executives representing all television networks and major industry associations for workshops and roundtables on substance abuse issues.
• Participation of celebrities has been arranged in numerous PSAs, online chats and other promotional activities.

• All of the major television networks, including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN, and the Warner Brothers Network, have supported the Campaign through donations of airtime, special programming and production of celebrity PSAs.
• Strategic Campaign messages and themes, including the accurate depiction of substance abuse, have been included in a growing list of more than 40 broadcast TV programs, such as ER, Chicago Hope and Home Improvement.
• The Campaign has developed key relationships with other entertainment industry leaders including The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Music and Marvel and D.C. Comics.
• A variety of celebrities have appeared in Campaign PSAs and spoken publicly about Campaign themes and goals. Youth and parents nationwide have heard celebrity voices from a range of entertainment genres, including: TV (e.g., Eriq La Salle of NBC's ER, Jenna Elfman of ABC's Dharma & Greg, Ken Olin of CBS's LA Doctors, Lisa Nicole Carter of Fox's Alley McBeal), film, popular music (e.g., Lauryn Hill, The Dixie Chicks), amateur and professional sports (e.g., U.S. Women's Soccer Team, Olympic Gold Medallist Tara Lipinski, Mike Modano of the NHL Champion Dallas Stars), comedy (e.g., Howie Mandel), pop culture (e.g., Miss America 1999 Nicole Johnson, Marvel Comics' Spiderman).
• Campaign messages have been incorporated in the agendas of entertainment industry and association events, including the annual conferences hosted by the Writers Guild.

(Marijuananews note: This may be the most shameful of all! Writers of all people should resist the pressure to lie to the people.)

Media Campaign Update

PARTNERSHIPS FOR ACTION

From http://www.mediacampaign.org/inthenews/update9.html

Through strategic partnerships, the Campaign is increasing the number of organizations and businesses through which accurate drug messages reach their target audiences. These alliances are extending Campaign messages to reach youth and parents in the communities where they live and in places where they spend most of their time - including schools, on line, at work and at play - helping build long-term substance abuse prevention activities.

Media and advertising partnerships bring expertise to every aspect of the Campaign. Significant national partners playing critical roles in the Campaign include the Partnership for a Drug Free America, The Ad Council and the American Advertising Federation.

Other Campaign partners include organizations that have focused historically on young people, parents and substance abuse issues, education, and other fields with broad reach into target audiences. These include:

• Hollywood Reporter - The Campaign's newest entertainment industry partner, the Hollywood Reporter, delivers daily news coverage and in-depth stories to industry professionals around the world. The Hollywood Reporter has agreed to develop a series of activities that will support the Campaign's education efforts on substance abuse.

• YMCA of the USA - The Campaign has forged a partnership with the YMCA to incorporate drug prevention resources and messages for the first time in history to the YMCA's after-school program curriculum. The collaboration also will ensure basic substance abuse training for all YMCA teaching staff in communities throughout the country, and incorporate Campaign messages into a customized area on the YMCA's website.
• National FFA Organization - The Campaign is working with FFA (formerly the Future Farmers of America) to develop a national, drug use prevention public service announcement (PSA) contest. The contest will heighten awareness of Campaign themes and messages among FFA's nearly 500,000 youth membership in local communities across the United States. The PSAs, which will be produced by FFA members through a chapter-based competition, will be shown at the annual National FFA Convention in the fall of 2000 and will be submitted for placement in local media markets across the country.

(Marijuananews note: It will be interesting to see what they say about hemp!)

• USA TODAY - The Campaign is collaborating with USA TODAY, the National Middle School Association and the National Association of Student Assistance Professionals to develop an educational insert that clarifies the myths and misconceptions young people have about using drugs, risks and consequences.
  See
  USA Today Recycles A July Story About BC Marijuana Being Traded
  Pound For Pound For Coke; It Was Prohibitionist Non-Sense Then, And It Still Is.
• School News Bureau - A news bureau will serve as an ongoing resource to middle and high school journalists. In partnership with major news organizations, including the Annie E. Casey School of Journalism for Children and Families, Chicago Tribune and New York Times, the bureau will help young journalists research, develop and disseminate substance abuse-related news for their peers.
• Cable in the Classroom - The cable TV industry's educational arm is highlighting and distributing substance abuse-focused programming and curriculum support materials to teachers and students in 80,000 schools nationwide. Among other projects planned for this ongoing partnership, the Campaign is working with Cable in the Classroom to develop a cross-industry conference to include participants from the areas of education, cable TV/programming, media literacy and drug prevention.

• X-Games - Numerous community-based organizations were enlisted to increase awareness of the Campaign's substance abuse prevention messages during ESPN's 1999 Summer X-Games in San Francisco. Organizations provided information at the event about local anti-drug initiatives, substance abuse programs, and other youth activities, programs and resources.
• National Drug Prevention League (NDPL) - The Campaign is collaborating with the NDPL to identify local points of contact and resources in each of the 102 target markets for prevention, civic, and community organizations and experts. The collaboration will result in a media market "map" that will allow easier access to Media Campaign and substance abuse information, establish a framework for Campaign partnerships, and allow rapid response to news media opportunities.