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myON, News-O-Matic partner todeliver theworld tokids
By Michael Chamness
IASA Director of Communications
The playground used to be the prime source of news for
kids. Of course, that was before the Internet and the 24-hour
cable news cycle that, in their own ways, are not much more
reliable than recess gossip. So where are kids supposed to
learn what’s really going on in the world in a way that explains
rather than traumatizes?
Enter myON. The developer of an award-winning
personalized literacy program has now partnered with News-
O-Matic to offer myON NEWS. By providing unlimited access
to digital books and real news articles, myON has clearly
focused on what’s important—giving kids content that they
can relate to in a format this is
both engaging and relevant.
Russell Kahn, the editor
in chief of News-O-Matic,
said the kid-focused
news operation fills an
important void.
“Before News-O-Matic came
along, America didn’t have
a daily newspaper for kids.
Children simply didn’t have a
resource to help make sense
of the world as it changed
each day,” Kahn said. “Sure,
there were children’s weekly
news magazines, but for too
long adults assumed that kids
didn’t need daily news. The
truth was, kids were hearing
about the news anyway—
from TVs or the Internet or on
the playground. And they had
nowhere to turn to make sense of the information in a safe,
age-appropriate way.
“News-O-Matic
had
to exist…As adults, sometimes we feel
like we’re helping children by attempting to shield them from
sensitive information. But the truth is that we’re doing them a
disservice if we don’t give them the tools to make sense of it.”
Kahn and his New York City-based staff choose five news
stories every weekday, a process he compares to solving a
jigsaw puzzle. They try to achieve a balance of hard-hitting
and light stories, national and international stories and cover
topics ranging from sports,
entertainment, fashion
and, yes, even politics.
And they do not shy away
from human tragedy, such
as the terrorist attack
in London, the mass
shootings in Las Vegas or
the Ebola crisis in Africa.
While death and
destruction are part of
life and, therefore, part of
the mix for myON news,
it’s how those tough
subjects are approached
that makes all of the
difference. News-O-Matic
employs a full-time child
psychologist, Dr. Phyllis
Ohr, to help make certain
that the approach is
appropriate for children.
Before News-O-Matic came
along, America didn’t have a daily
newspaper for kids. Children
simply didn’t have a resource to
help make sense of the world as
it changed each day...The truth
was, kids were hearing about the
news anyway—from TVs or the
Internet or on the playground. And
they had nowhere to turn to make
sense of the information in a
safe, age-appropriate way.
—Russell Kahn, Editor in Chief
News-O-Matic
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