Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: "'When I Think about Iraq ...' Kids Talk about the War"

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: "'When I Think about Iraq ...' Kids Talk about the War"

Airs Sunday, April 16, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon

Nick News Polls Kids Online about the War

(Artwork available upon request)

NEW YORK, March 27 /PRNewswire/ -- As the war in Iraq continues so does the American dialogue about it. However, one group has been largely overlooked in this dialogue. Directly or indirectly, kids are affected by the situation in Iraq, and most of them have an opinion. This edition of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: "'When I Think about Iraq ...' Kids Talk about the War", airing Sunday, April 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, honors the thoughts and feelings of kids.

"Kids have told us this war is very real to them, but when you're a kid, even when you have something important to say, it's not always easy to be heard," said Ellerbee. "We grownups like to think of childhood as a time of total innocence. Kids know better. They aren't able to ignore this war. The noise is too loud. And so they think about it. Now they get a chance to tell the rest of us what they're thinking."

Nick News also offered kids the opportunity to voice their opinions via an online poll that focused on issues surrounding the US invasion of Iraq, American soldiers, politics, patriotism, dissent and leadership. Results from the poll will be revealed on-air during Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: "'When I Think about Iraq ...' Kids Talk about the War".

"'When I Think about Iraq ...' Kids Talk about the War" begins where kids said the story began for them: their memories of Sept. 11. It then explains what's happened since, with kids commenting on the events and the lingering questions which were raised by the events. Was the president right? Was invasion the answer? Did the president mislead the public? Was Iraq a threat? Is it possible to be a patriot even if one opposes the war? What should happen now?

The show takes us to a military base where many kids have one (or more) parent in Iraq. These kids are directly affected by war. Nick News also meets with a group of kids who are protesting the war, and another kids' organization that's found a way they can help American soldiers in Iraq, and help those soldiers help Iraqi kids. "Hero Hugs," started by three kids, sends hundreds of appreciation packages monthly to soldiers, and special packages to wounded soldiers. "Operation Iraqi Friendship" gives soldiers a way to get basic school supplies, toys and clothing to the children in Iraq, in order to try to foster better relations between the American troops and the Iraqi people. Nick News also asked kids all across America what they would say if they could speak directly to the president. What were their messages to soldiers? To the kids of Iraq?

The result is a compelling show that proves once again the diversity and depth of kids' opinions. All you have to do is ask them.

Nick News, which is in its 14th year -- the longest-running kids' news show in U.S. 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, 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 ten consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

Source: Nickelodeon

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

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

-------
Profile: intent