Parents, teachers tackle scandal

This easy access to graphic information may have caused parents some challenges as they try to answer questions their children have.

"The media have put parents in an awkward position," said Mary Moriarty, associate director of the diocesan Family Life Office. "Parents try to control TV watching, but a fourth grader can pick up a newspaper or go on the internet."

One concern parents may have are the comments from ordinary people stating that "adultery is no big deal" or "everybody's doing it," Mrs. Moriarty said. Parents should take this opportunity tell children that adultery is wrong.

"Parents can say `I think it's wrong' and give their personal opinion. Say, `Our family believes it's wrong' or `Grandma and grandpa taught me this, and I still believe it,'" she said.

Mrs. Moriarty said it is important to answer questions that children have in ways appropriate to their age. "If kids don't understand, it just goes over their head," she said.

In addition to presenting questions about sex and marriage, the Clinton scandal has raised other issues for families to address.

According to Meg Bergh, associate director of the Family Life Office and responsible for coordinating pro-life issues for the Diocese, "It gives parents the opportunity to share their beliefs. Hopefully, they will look at things [as a family]. They can ask, `What can we do differently?' This can open up discussion."

Mrs. Moriarty said the issues parents can address in relation to the presidential scandal include lying, honesty, forgiveness, empathy, marriage and relationships.

In discussing lying, Mrs. Moriarty suggested parents could say, "`I can understand that he did it to protect his family, but he still lied. We can't excuse it.' Then bring it back to yourself: `I try to always tell the truth.'"

Children, Mrs. Moriarty said, need to understand that telling the truth can sometimes mean facing unpleasant consequences and that every action, including lying, has consequences.

For those parents concerned about the information their children are exposed to through the media, Mrs. Moriarty suggested they take control. "Parents always have the right to turn off the television," she said.

She also recommended that parents take the time to read or watch TV together with their children so that they can process the news together. But parents aren't the only ones processing this information with kids; teachers are also dealing with the issues in the classroom.

"It's a situation that has led to a lot of discussion," said James Iavarone, who teaches Church history, sacraments, and human sexuality and morality at LaSalle Institute in Troy. Character, reputation and adultery are some of the issues that will come up in Mr. Iavarone's classroom.

While the presidential scandal has been fodder for many jokes, Mr. Iavarone said it needs to be discussed with students in a serious manner and "from a moral perspective. There is black and white. Students have to know what's right and wrong."

Another issue is the media. "None of us needed to know the details" of the sexual relationship between the President and Ms. Lewinsky, stated Mr. Iavarone. "We've become a nation of voyeurs. The media tend to go overboard. It's like when [Princess] Diana died. Too much information is being thrown out."

Sharon Randall, coordinator of youth ministries at St. Pius X Church in Loudonville, agreed that the amount of information being presented by the media is overwhelming. She presents workshops on media literacy for youth in grades seven through 12, and said it is important for parents and youth to understand the four principles of media literacy:

1. The first principle, she said, is that the media construct reality, that is, they represent someone's idea of what happened. Everything seen on the news is created or manipulated, which leads to the second principle.

2. Media use identifiable techniques, such as camera angles, eye-catching quotes, special effects and splashy layouts. Those are designed to get the readers, viewers, or listeners to pay attention.

3. The third principle is that media are businesses with commercial interests, Ms. Randall said. While making money isn't wrong, it is important to realize that everything the media brings is influenced by the profit motive.

4. The final principle is that the media present ideologies and value messages. The media are filled with messages about who and what is important.

"This last one is most important," Ms. Randall said. "It's important for people to realize that the media makers are the ones who made the document about Clinton very important."

Being aware of these techniques, Ms. Randall said, can help parents and youth become critical consumers of the media. "We need to be aware of what's happening [with the media]," she said. "Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it."

(For more information on Ms. Randall's media literacy workshops, call 462-1336.)

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