Children's perspective on war in Iraq and television coverage

For weeks it had been in the media: the war in Iraq. Bombardments, wounded and dead people could be seen in the news. Children had their own perspective towards these things. They had concerns and questions. They needed information, but also had the wish to announce their view of the things and their emotions.
A current study by the IZI in co-operation with international researchers is investigating in what ways this children's perspective is characterised and the ways children's television is dealing with this topic.

A. Interviews with children
Problem-centred interviews were conducted with a total of 138 children (6 to13 years old), 95 children in Germany and 43 in Austria. During the first week of war they took place all over Germany. In an additional sample 7 Iraqi children, having fled to Germany, were interviewed concerning their perspective of things.

B. Analysis of emails to children's broadcasting stations
Children's broadcasting stations have become a central place where they send their questions and assessments of the situation. The study will be investigating which questions children sent to Germanys Kikania, tivi.de, toggo.de, kindernetz.de. Children's emails being sent to broadcasting stations during the first week after the war broke out, will be evaluated in a content analysis.
Parallel to this study Dr. Peter Nikken is analysing emails to children's broadcasting stations in the Netherlands using the same codebook. For further information see www.jeugdenmedia.nl

C. Media analysis
A third partial project will be investigating in how far broadcasting stations consider the needs of children. Internet offers and children's news will be analysed (Logo, Schau mal, Confetti tivi) during the first week of war.

D. Multinational comparison
All over the world war is a media event. Not only media coverage is completely different (this topic will be investigated by Elisabeth Prommer at the HFF Potsdam-Babelsberg), but also everyday life situation of children is diverse. While German children participate in demonstrations and discuss war at school as something fundamental, children in Israel are involved in emergency training and permanently carry their gas-masks for months.
In a multinational comparison (Germany - Austria - Israel - USA) the functions of television and television convergent offers for children are investigated. However the investigation set-up will be changed according to given situations. Media analyses and expert interviews referring to national news relevant to children will be added on to this.

E. In how far does television support children world wide in this topic?
Children's broadcasting stations provide children with various programmes and internet offers dealing with war in Iraq. Children's news from Mexico to the Netherlands work on the topic or Elmo from Sesame Street gives advice how to cope with fear. PRIX JEUNESSE INTERNATIONAL is collecting these programmes world-wide, and interviews editors about what they are aiming at.

First publications of the partial studies are planned for the next English issue of TelevIZIon. (approximately Mid April 2004)

further areas of work