LM Oct.2017

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

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,

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

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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