Nick News Addresses Israeli and Palestinian Conflict; Talks to Kids from Both Sides

Nick News Addresses Israeli and Palestinian Conflict; Talks to Kids from Both Sides

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Give Peace a Chance? Airs Sunday, July 3, 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon

NEW YORK, June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- As Israelis and Palestinians tentatively seek to make peace with each other, where do the kids fit in? In the latest episode of the award-winning kids' news series, "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Give Peace a Chance?," journalist Linda Ellerbee travels to the West Bank and Gaza Strip to speak with kids directly affected by the Middle Eastern conflict. This episode airs on Sunday, July 3, 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT), only on Nickelodeon.

"The kids we met have all been affected either by their country's political decisions, fighting, or by terrorists," said Ellerbee. "Although most of these kids never met anyone from other territories, they all have something in common: the desire for peace and freedom. But what are people, including kids, willing to sacrifice to give peace a chance?"

Nick News' first stop is the Ramot neighborhood in Jerusalem to meet Israeli brother and sister Yoad and Sarai, who lost a family member in a Palestinian suicide bombing attack. While they are experiencing pain and anger, they say they believe Palestinians are not collectively responsible for their suffering. Next, in the Palestinian Occupied Territory of Bethlehem, we meet Zenia, a 12-year-old girl who suffers from what she describes as a lack of freedom, and believes that until the barrier walls are gone, there will be no peace. In the Jewish Settlement of Ganne Tal, Yehuda, a 12-year-old boy who says he would follow Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate the settlers from the Gaza Strip if it would bring peace, but he doesn't think it will. And he's unwilling to give up his home for just "the chance of peace."

Nick News then crosses over to the Palestinian side of the Gaza Strip to Bayt Hanun, home to Nur, an 11-year-old Palestinian girl whose brother was shot and killed in crossfire between the Israeli army and Palestinian militants. Nur wants the Jewish Settlers out of the Gaza Strip. She believes there could be peace and hopes it will improve with the new leadership, but also thinks that the two groups might, in the end, have to live separately.

Though there is conflict, these territories are not always divided; there are places where peace is evident. In the final stop of the episode, Ellerbee visits the Peres Center for Peace which holds organized soccer matches called the Peres Peace Games, where both Israeli and Palestinian boys play together on the same side. By providing an outlet for both sides to play peacefully, the kids realize their commonalities, and can even become friends.

Nick News, which is in its 14th year -- the longest-running kids' news show in television history -- has built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. The program has covered the tough topics, including the Sept. 11 attacks, the Columbine tragedy, divorce, bullying, learning disorders, all the presidential elections since 1992, the Balkan war, the Iraq War, the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and AIDS. In 1992, Ellerbee's special, "A Conversation with Magic," which featured Magic Johnson, set the standard for talking with kids about AIDS. 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 of the President Clinton investigation; a Columbia duPont Award; and more than a dozen Parents' Choice Awards.

Nickelodeon, now in its 26th 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 89 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for more than nine consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses, 212-846-7326, or Nancy Hostler, +1-212-846-7491,
both of Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/

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