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A Noted Commentator Tells: WHY OUR CHILDREN PROFIT FROM TV By John Cameron Swayze Despite the hue and cry from self- appointed critics who fear TV ad¬ versely affects children, it strikes me that our generation has profited a very great deal from their video viewings. I’m familiar with the argument that younger folk are being gorged with sadistic blood-and-thunder entertain¬ ment via TV. And it’s true that a few programs are not what they should be—^but to no greater degree than are countless films easily available or, for that matter, certain radio shows, especially during pre-video days. What is overlooked in these pro and con debates on this question is the simple fact that our youngsters’ TV experiences are in no way limited to specifically designed “children’s pro¬ grams,” either good or bad; their in¬ terest isn’t limited to programs tailor- made for their particular age group. Because of the visual impact and sense of immediacy it conveys, tele¬ vision has captured the child’s imagi¬ nation and boosted interest in areas of thought and activity often consid¬ ered outside his own sphere. The visual immediacy has given a compre¬ hension of grown-up events to chil¬ dren and young people that neither radio nor the printed word success¬ fully conveyed in the past. For illustration, let me fall back on my own experiences with the News Caravan program. Many find it sur¬ prising that over 35 percent of the weekly mail we receive on this news¬ cast comes from the six-to-16 age bracket. Such a tremendous response from youthful viewers for a program that is not geared solely to them points up the interest TV has un¬ covered among a vast new audience. Within one week I recently received letters from an entire elementary class in New Jersey commenting on various aspects of* world problems. One 14- year-old from Arkansas wrote to know what I thought of using the H- bomb for defense; a 15-year-old gave her own views about the behind-the- scenes power struggle in the Kremlin; a 10-year-old wrote asking for ideas on the present Administration’s for¬ eign policy. In checking with colleagues, pro¬ ducers, interviewers and others in the TV field, I find that many have simi¬ lar mail response from youngsters on dramatic shows, political, religious and news programs that were originally planned primarily for adult consump¬ tion. That TV has aroused such active interest in shows other than the well- planned and informative children’s program is a sound sample of its more laudable contributions to young peo¬ ple’s lives. It also points up the inter¬ esting side fact that we parents are slow to realize how much youngsters are interested in what’s going on in the world beyond their own particular family and school realm. Another first-hand experience that taught me never to presume I know exactly what fare appeals to children 20