WAN-IFRA publishes "Internet in the Family 2.0"

WAN-IFRA, which is offering the guide free of charge, is encouraging newspapers to use it to attract partners and sponsors. The guide, run as an insert or a series, is designed to help parents and teachers reduce the risks children face online and help children better use the internet in their education.

The materials can be found at www.wan-press.org/nie/home.php.

Safe and productive practices

"Parents and teachers ­ especially those who are less internet savvy than children ­ need help to steer children into safe and more productive practices on the web," said Dr. Aralynn McMane, executive director of Young Readership Development for WAN-IFRA.

"The internet guide covers everything from how to avoid predators and 'cyberbullying' to helping kids reject plagiarism and to determine the credibility of information. And it comes from a source that parents and teachers trust ­ their local newspaper."

Offering the guide for publication around Safer Internet Day aims to strengthen the newspaper's role as a media literacy ally of parents and teachers. Safer Internet Day is an initiative of the European Union's Insafe network, a part of the EU Safer Internet programme.

Twitter-style tips

WAN-IFRA's second edition of "Internet in the Family: A guide to helping children when they go online", adds new art, sections on social networks, cyberbullying and newspaper online news. It also includes, in cooperation with Microsoft, 20 "Be a Sh@rk on the internet" Twitter-style tips that newspapers can use for a youth sticker contest.

The guide, which has been endorsed by educators and media literacy experts in several countries, was written for WAN-IFRA by Roxana Morduchowicz, Argentina media education director, and is supported by the paper manufacturer Norske Skog.