Thoman, Bryant to headline Family Wellness Conference April 14

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"Families and Media" will be the theme of the annual Conference on Family Wellness to be held April 14 at Lipscomb University featuring national experts on the impact of media images on families. The conference will begin at 9 a.m. in Lipscomb's Shamblin Theatre, 3901 Granny White Pike, Nashville. The conference is free and open to the public but advance registration is required. Conference speakers will include Elizabeth Thoman, founder, chair and chief program officer of the Center for Media Literacy in Los Angeles; Jennings Bryant, director of the Institute for Communication Research and professor of communication, Reagan Chair of Broadcasting, the University of Alabama; and Lynn Morrow, Esq., principal in the entertainment and new media practice group of the law firm Stokes Bartholomew Evans and Petree P.A., Nashville. Thoman will address issues centered on promoting media literacy in children, parents, and teachers. Bryant will address the impact of the Internet and video games in contemporary society, and the relationship between viewing pornography and more accepting attitudes toward convicted rapists and others who commit crimes of passion. Morrow will address messages in music in "Legal Messages from the Music Industry." Dr. John Conger, associate professor and chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Lipscomb University, said that society is forming attitudes and gaining information based primarily on what is presented through the media and that many of these views can be detrimental to the family well-being. "Few things impact families and social life in general more than media," said Conger. "Whether it is the print medium, music, movies, television, or the Internet, our entire culture is constantly bombarded with messages that influence the attitudes and behaviors of our culture, both young and old." According to a Neilson Media Research report the average child watches 20 hours of television a week not to mention other types of "screen time" such as video games and computer use. "This means that children have less time for reading, interactive socialization and play, and other activities that improve mental and physical development and skills," said Conger. "At this conference, we will address the research from many of these areas--music, television, video games, print media, advertising to children, portrayal of families in popular sitcoms, gender and racial stereotyping, body image, the effects of media on children, internet issues, you name it!" said Conger. "This is not the conference to miss if you work with--or are interested in children and families." The conference is hosted by the Lipscomb University departments of Family & Consumer Science, Communication, and Education, and is sponsored in part by a grant from Purity Dairies. For more information or to register for the conference visit the web at http://fcs.lipscomb.edu or call john.conger [at] lipscomb.edu (Dr. John Conger) at 615.279.5729 or (800) 333.4358 ext. 5729.