Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Cheap Shots and Low Blows: How Debate Turns
to Hate Airs Sunday November 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon
Political Personalities Chris Matthews, Al Franken and Ann Coulter Weigh In
on the Current State of Political Debate
NEW YORK, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Has civil discourse in America come
down to "You suck!"? The midterm elections are here, the noise keeps
getting louder, and the gloves keep coming off. And not just in politics.
Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Cheap Shots and Low Blows: How Debate Turns
To Hate, which airs Sunday, Nov. 5, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon,
explores the level of debate in America, and how it affects kids. Guests
include Chris Matthews ("Hardball with Chris Matthews" and "The Chris
Matthews Show"), political satirist Al Franken, and political pundit and
author Ann Coulter.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061020/NYF064 )
"The question of how we, the people, are going to behave to one another
in the public arena when we disagree is an important one," said Ellerbee.
"Kids can't escape the messages we're sending. Do we need to examine those
messages? If we can't all play nice, can we at least play fair?"
In Cheap Shots and Low Blows, Ellerbee and Nick News sit down with kids
from across the country to talk about where we should draw the line when we
disagree. Should we be more polite, or does civility only mask true
feelings? Regarding politics, what's fair and what's a cheap shot? When is
an ad an attack ad? Is the current level of debate a symptom of a new
cultural divide, or just business as usual? The kids look at current and
past campaign ads, the tone and words used on talk shows and in political
debate, and whether television is fueling the fire
Nick News also visits Duluth, Minnesota, a city that has tried to turn
the tide on negative rhetoric. In 2001, Duluth garnered a reputation for
being a contentious city. City council meetings were often nasty screaming
matches, until a group called the Community Foundation created the "Speak
Your Peace Civility Project." Has it worked? Is there a solution? Is there
even a problem? After all, mudslinging isn't new to American politics and
disagreement is a central part of the American way. But have we gone too
far?
Nick News, celebrating its 15th year, is the longest-running kids' news
show in television history, and has built its reputation on the respectful
and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. In
2005, it won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming for its show,
From the Holocaust to the Sudan. In 1994, the entire series, Nick News, won
the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 1998, "What Are You
Staring At?" a program about kids with physical disabilities, won the Emmy
for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2002, "Faces of Hope: The Kids
of Afghanistan," won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In
2004, two Nick News Specials, "The Courage to Live: Kids, South Africa and
AIDS" and "There's No Place Like Home," a special about homeless kids in
America, were both nominated for the Outstanding Children's Programming
Emmy. In fact, Nick News has received more than 20 Emmy nominations. Nick
News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is also the recipient of two
Peabody Awards, including a personal one given to Ellerbee for her
coverage, for kids, of the President Clinton investigation; a Columbia
duPont Award; and more than a dozen Parents' Choice Awards.
Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand
for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and
production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer
products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films.
Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million
households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more
than eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles,
characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).
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