Four nationally-known experts will discuss the impact of the media on lifestyle, health choice, youth violence and even the democratic process in a series of presentations at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 29 in the Evert B.Person Theatre on the Sonoma State University campus in Rohnert Park.
This thought-provoking evening, called "Deadly Persuasion: Media?s Hidden Messages" will also include a question and answer period.
The speakers are:
JEAN KILBOURNE, Ph.D.: author and lecturer, internationally recognized for her pioneering work on alcohol and tobacco advertising and the image of women in advertising. She is a visiting scholar at Wellesley College, has served on the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and been an adviser to two surgeons general.
DAVID CONSIDINE, Ph.D.: author and lecturer, a leader in the American media literacy movement and the democratic process. He is a professor of media studies and instructional technology and chairs the nation?s only graduate program on media literacy.
PETER DE BENEDITTIS, Ph.D.: featured on CBS? 48 hours focusing on youth alcohol prevention using media literacy. He has trained more than 50,000 students about how media has manipulated their behaviours and perpetuates addictive behavior. He uses his advertising knowledge to promote healthy lifestyle choices.
ANN SIMONTON: former top fashion model who turned her back on a lucrative modeling career to dedicate her life to exposing the negative impact commercial media's bias toward the image of women has had. She is the founding director of Media Watch, the organization behind the protest of the Miss America contest.
Tickets to the event are $5 students, $8 general. To purchase by phone, call 664-2382. For more information call Susan Alesi at 565-6614.
The event is sponsored by the County of Sonoma Department of Health Services, Sonoma State University, Associated Students Productions and the Sonoma County Media Literacy Project. It is paid for in part with funds from Prop 99, the Tobacco Tax.
