TV Or Internet News

I came across this incredible site a few years ago called Here There Everywhere. It covers a lot of different things and from a kid's perspective.

Re: news. Yes. we watch the news in common areas of the house. Sometimes my older kiddo pays attention, sometimes not. He is almost 9 and very inquisitive. He asks questions and I have gone to the HTEnews to better explain complicated issues.

http://htekidsnews.com/

In general the school tells them some nonsense and we discuss why it is nonsense. Sometimes they actually give them news, then we discuss that as well. Still other times their dad says something completely off the wall and we discuss that.

All my kids now know how to google what they need or want to know. Even I barely watch TV news, what I do watch is for the weather.

I think a great way to expose your DD to the news is by reading parts of the newspaper with her.

DD just turned 6 and I haven't really thought about this too much yet. We usually just have the tv on the news and she will occasionally ask questions. I answer her questions as they come.

We stopped getting the newspaper when the content shrunk to about half as much as we had been getting and the price doubled.

We have the local news on our TV every morning. It's a part of our day, and it always has been. It's in the background while we're having coffee, making breakfast and packing our lunches. We have watched the anchors on the same local station for so long we feel like we know those people!
Mostly it's traffic and weather, local crime reports, elections, sports, school news and accidents, stuff like that, with some national and world news as well.
I never turn on Fox News or CNBC or any of those other hothead news programs. Those people are such an embarrassment to watch. All the yelling and throwing around of conspiracy theories and personal rants? No thanks! Not how I want to start my day :(
I really think the local news is best for families because it's nice to keep up with what's going on in your town and state, and like I said, they DO report some wider news as well. If you have a laptop your could probably stream it on your kitchen counter!

My kids like to watch the news in the morning... as we are all up, getting ready for school. This is our LOCAL news television, news.
I dunno, we all watch it... as we do other things.
That is what my parents did too.
At news time, morning or evening, the tv was on.
For us, we have ALWAYS talked to our kids, about media forms and how to discern things, and think on their own etc.
IF something is too graphic, I quickly switch the channel and tell my kids, that it was not appropriate for them. But many times, my daughter has already switched the channel, already, and then tells me why.

We have always talked to our kids about world news. Not just local or national news. Or whatever is going on in the world.

It is not too complicated in our house, but we have always, since our kids were Toddlers, talked to them about whatever they or we watch/read/see/hear/eat, and how to make good decisions and ask us questions any time. And to think on their own, which they do.
But I also know my kids, and their cues. And of course, we go by their age.
My kids are 6 and 9.

Mainstream news is so ridiculously slanted (and wrong) most of the time that I'm not sure I'd even bother.

I would let her read things you read (so long as you think it's age appropriate).

My kids are having a hard enough time at ages 5 and 8 just learning how to get along with their own neighbor at school and activities. They don't need to know what's going on in the world.

The 8 year old knows some things and it has deeply effected her.

For instance, the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Last year was 10 years so it was everywhere. They talked about it at school, there was some sort of special on almost every channel about it, there was no way she didn't hear about it.

We watched on of the specials, I can't tell you which one, but it was a very in depth look at it. She cried the whole time. She is a very empathetic child, for people, animals, all living beings.

She can't watch TV and that song by Sarah McLachlan, Angel, come on. She knows that the commercial is going to show unhappy animals and she starts tearing up. She can't imagine why anyone would treat anyone or anything like that.

So, for her, she does not need to news in any form. The world becomes a dark dangerous place where she is not safe and neither are any of the other beings here. No news shows for her.

For the 5 year old, he would not be interested in the cause and effect of what he was seeing. He'd be more interested in the wars and fighting aspect of it all. He does not need to know that he lives in a world with so much hatred and senseless violence.

I think that little kids have enough to deal with without sitting them down and having a formal time for "let's see how bad the world is today". The kids have to deal with bully's, homework, interpersonal relationships, cliques, teachers who are having a bad day, they have too much to learn and deal with already.

In college we did a lot of testing. We administered the MMPI to anyone who would come to get an extra credit for a class, we administered a lot of those psych tests for different grad students trying to show cause for a more in depth study on any given subject.

There were several that hypothesized that people who watch the news regularly had a tendency to be more depressed. We had thousands of students come in during that year. It was across the board. It was phenomenal. People who keep up with world events, tragedy's, wars, natural disasters, etc....are much more likely to suffer from depression.

After this study was done I just never had any interest in knowing what was going on in other places of the world or even in nearby cities. I want to know if I have storms coming, if I have heat warnings, what is going on with my local city and if there are events we can attend. That's about all I look at on purpose.

I did watch to see how Hurricane Isaac landed and what the outcome of that was. But as far as sitting down on purpose each day, there's just no way I'm going to allow the kids to watch the world news or even the local news talking about who got murdered and what fire destroyed a family.

TV news is horrible as they spend more time on celebrities and that is not what I want my kids exposed to. Internet or newspaper is way better because they are to the point and you can always jump on and do more research which is great for kids to learn.

But either way, with young kids, supervise but don't necessarily loom over them and if you need to online, set parental blocks. Honestly, just pick some good news sites and link them to bookmarks if you want your kids to read news. Teach them that some news is not really news and who the better news sites are. It's critical thinking and yes, small children can do it.

FYI: I lost all respect on television news the day I heard: "And later today, a cure for xxx, what all people need to know, the war on terrorism and... BREAKING NEWS Oprah has a sister!"