Nick News

Nick News was (is?) a children's news program hosted by Linda Ellerbee. As a Millennial child, not I, nor a single person I knew had any interest in this show and considered it a waste of valuable time on the Nickelodeon schedule. It was created by adults for adult reasons (indoctrinating youth), and adults congratulated themselves for it to the tune of 9 Emmy awards for best children's program of the year (it wouldn't win a thing if children voted). The content never really appealed to me as a kid (what child wants to watch a news program in their spare time?) but having gone back and watched clips, it's clear the show had a liberal slant and was created for propaganda purposes. If you're going to do that, at least get someone charismatic to deliver. Instead, we're presented with Linda Ellerbee, who serves as one of the most jaw-droppingly boring anchors I've ever seen. If the world had ended, she'd be up there with her staid, monotone delivery going, "The world ended today..."

Avoid.

As a kid, as most kids maybe do, I found the news pretty boring. Even the local channels seemed rather far away from my life and interests. Asking parents or teachers about confusing subjects either left too many questions or got me into some sort of condescending conversation concerning what I should or shouldn't do.

Nick News was one of those rare occasions in my youth where the news was brought to me, where someone made an effort to inform me, rather than tell me what to do or believe. And, oh, that makes all the difference to a kid.

Each week there were a number of new topics that concerned me or kids like me (in this way, the show taught me to care for people that were not directly involved in my life). It gave me the desire to learn more, to become an active member of my community and to always keep up with the news.

Nick News provides kids with a good deal of information, on subjects of which their parent, churches, and school leaders may have biased opinions. If we truly want a new, thinking, caring world to emerge, more shows like Nick News need to go into development.

((There is another review here on IMDb.com that seems to suggest that Nick News force feeds kids information. I have not watched the show in a number of years, so I can not speak for its entire run, but I can say that in my youth I never felt as though I was being force fed information, quite the opposite when I consider what I was told in school, at church and at home.

If that review concerns itself with some of the more controversial subjects Nick News has tackled over the years, I think Linda and her crew should be commended. I know that as a kid I didn't always agree with what has being said on the show, but I learned, BECAUSE of the show, how to accept alternate sources of information, as well as how to accept another person's point of view.

Yes, Nick News has covered many "controversial" subjects over the years. God bless 'em. Keeping or children ignorant? That's killing them and killing this country.))

I remember this show fondly from my youth. (I am currently a 26 years old mother of two.) I didn't realize that the show is still on (and actually can't find out when it airs) but I do look forward to my own children watching it someday in the future. I never cared to watch the "real" news as it was never anything but depressing subjects. On Nick News I saw such cool things. I still remember the Magic Johnson/AIDS episode with the little HIV+ girl and crying as I realized what her fate would be. I remember the episode about a family who was so into recycling/composting that they were emptying their trash can for the first time in eight or so years. There were so many great subjects, running everything from very serious to happy-go-lucky. I loved this show!!! Granted, I was raised very liberal (aka open-minded and accepting)so perhaps that's why it resonates with me.

I'll never forget Linda Ellerbee's name because of what she did for me through this show. I remember often finding the "adult news" scary and confusing. Especially regarding things like 9/11. I remember Ms. Ellerbee always explaining things in a way I could understand as a kid. She didn't sugarcoat things, she just explained them in using language an elementary school student could understand. That was invaluable to me and my friends. As an adult I did wonder if looking back there would be a slant or a position being pushed. So, I went back and watched some of the episodes I had on tape. I'm here to tell you, they really were right down the middle, facts. I was pleasantly surprised, major kudos to Linda. She provided a great service for my generation!

While I only remember this show from my youth, I believe it's a necessary initiative to educate our children without pandering to shock articles or extremist views. Educating them about real social issues better prepares them for real-life experiences growing up. Opposed to using ignorance as a tool like so many parents and grownups do, Nick News is a light in the dark for children who will become adults of a newer and more enlightened generation, regardless of political, social, or sexual affiliation.

Forbidding or limiting your child's reach only encourages them to find out for themselves later on.