Article July 20, 1998 Issue

POSITIVE ROLE MODELS DESERVE THE MEDIA'S ATTENTION

Don LeRoy Griffith III

It would appear that negative concepts hang on in people's thoughts, and it takes at least ten opposite, positive comments to begin erasing one negative one. The media need to help with this. They should be proactive in publishing and broadcasting the good—especially when such "good news" would correct old, outgrown, negative beliefs.

A remarkable example of the need for positive portrayals in the media is found in the recent shooting by a fifteen-year-old of fellow students in a school cafeteria. In the flurry of news bites that followed this tragedy, I heard only a brief mention on public radio that a group of male peers had physically apprehended this young man while he was armed—thereby protecting fellow students, at the risk of their own safety.

The "real story" should have been a focus on the heroic deed of these brave young men, rather than only on the tragic event perpetrated by a confused and an gry youngster. These guys should be on the news and talk shows, and so should the many other brave men and women who risk life and limb daily as part of their "jobs." Young people need positive models of all kinds, not just athletes and movie stars. They need good people they can emulate in everyday situations, and they need to see these healthy models of behavior—models of genuine spirituality and integrity—over and over until they perceive such behavior as natural and expected.

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