Geena Davis and Former FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate Launch Groundbreaking Commission on Media Images

New "Healthy MEdia" Commission to Promote Positive Images of Women and Girls

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Geena Davis, Academy Award-winning Actor and Founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and Deborah Taylor Tate, former FCC Commissioner, today joined together to launch Healthy MEdia: Commission for Positive Images of Women and Girls.

Joined by Commission members, media partners, and teenage Girl Scouts, Davis and Tate launched the Commission saying: "We are proud to join together to transform how we approach gender equality and images of women and girls in the media.  What children see affects their attitudes toward male and female roles, as well as impacts the value they place on girls and women in society.  Working together, Healthy MEdia: Commission for Positive Images of Women and Girls will lead the national conversation about how to ensure we are creating a positive media environment for all our children."

Recognizing the need for a national discussion on the topic, Healthy MEdia: Commission for Positive Images of Women and Girls will:

• Host the national discussion on best practices to promote positive and balanced images of girls and women.
• Convene industry leaders, subject-matter experts, youth representatives, media leadership, and the creative community to develop a blueprint on how to create a positive media environment for kids.
• Produce concrete recommendations to media and policy leaders.
• Champion media leaders who are promoting positive content and balanced images of girls and women.
• Work to secure industry-wide, public commitments to take steps toward positive change.  

Healthy MEdia is being launched by the Girl Scouts of the USA, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), and The Creative Coalition.  Commission Members include media industry leaders, subject matter experts, youth representatives and the creative community.

Last October, Girl Scouts of the USA, NAB, NCTA and The Creative Coalition hosted The Healthy Media for Youth Summit which began the dialogue on how the industry and consumers can promote healthy images of women and girls in the media.  The summit brought together experts to lead discussions on the many aspects of healthy images and media literacy.  Ms. Davis was joined by other Hollywood luminaries and members of The Creative Coalition including Emmy-Award winner Alfre Woodard, Steven Weber, Teri Polo, and Rachael Leigh Cook.

Davis, long-time advocate for women and girls, is the founder of the nonprofit The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and its programming arm See Jane, which engages film and television creators to dramatically increase the percentages of female characters. An award-winning actress, Davis received the 1989 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "The Accidental Tourist," and won the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama.

Tate was twice-nominated to the FCC by President George W. Bush where she served until 2009.  Presently, she is a Senior Fellow at both the East West Institute and the Free State Foundation, and serves on numerous national boards including Common Sense Media, Centerstone Research Institute, Minority and Media Telecommunications Council and Healthstream, Inc.  She teaches and is affiliated with both Vanderbilt and Lipscomb Universities.  Tate was recognized for her work on child online safety by the World Telecommunications and Information Society Day Laureate and was recently appointed the ITU's Global Special Envoy for child online activities.

About Girl Scouts of the USA (www.girlscouts.org)

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls with 3.4 million girl and adult members worldwide. Girl Scouts is the leading authority on girls' healthy development, and builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. The organization serves girls from every corner of the United States and its territories. Girl Scouts of the USA also serves American girls living overseas in 90 countries. For more information on how to join, volunteer, reconnect or donate to Girl Scouts, call (800) GSUSA 4 U (800-478-7248) or visit www.girlscouts.org.

About The Creative Coalition (www.TheCreativeCoalition.org)

The Creative Coalition is the premiere 501(C)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating and mobilizing its members on issues of public importance, particularly in the areas of public education, arts advocacy and First Amendment rights.

About NCTA (http://www.ncta.com)

NCTA is the principal trade association for the U.S. cable industry, representing cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks. The cable industry is the nation's largest broadband provider of high-speed Internet access, serving more than 41 million customers, after investing more than $160 billion to build a two-way interactive network with fiber optic technology. Cable companies also provide state-of-the-art digital telephone service to more than 22 million American consumers.

About NAB (www.nab.org)

The National Association of Broadcasters is the premier advocacy association for America's broadcasters. NAB advances radio and television interests in legislative, regulatory and public affairs. Through advocacy, education and innovation, NAB enables broadcasters to best serve their communities, strengthen their businesses and seize new opportunities in the digital age. Learn more at www.nab.org. 

About The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media (http://www.thegeenadavisinstitute.org )

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and its programming arm See Jane work with entertainment creators and companies, educate the next generation of content-creators, and inform the public about the need to increase the number of girls and women in media aimed at kids and to reduce stereotyping of both males and females.

SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA