`FATHER KNOWS BEST' CORRUPTS KIDS MORE THAN JERRY SPRINGER

`FATHER KNOWS BEST' CORRUPTS KIDS MORE THAN JERRY SPRINGER

DURHAM, N.H. (Wireless Flash) -- Now here's a shocker: a media scholar says the squeaky clean TV show "Father Knows Best" does more harm to kids than "The Jerry Springer Show." University of New Hampshire communication professor Josh Meyrowitz says early TV shows like "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It to Beaver" actually corrupted kids in ways tabloid talk shows can't. He says early TV family shows were really the first to show kids that adults act one way in front of kids and another way behind closed doors. These days parents don't even bother hiding their bad habits from kids because they know TV shows like Jerry Springer's will blow the lid off their bickering, boozing and other bad habits. Meyrowitz is the author of "No Sense of Place" (Oxford).

CONTACT: Dr. Josh Meyrowitz, ***1/2; Durham, NY; (603) 862-3031