How youth editions are explaining the Middle East revolutions

"Newspapers ­ yes newspapers ­ are playing a leading role in providing explanatory journalism for children, who are just as interested and just as concerned about these events as their parents," said Dr Aralynn McMane, executive director of Young Readership Development at WAN-IFRA.

The examples, which can be found at How youth editions are explaining the Middle East revolutions, include:

• A Luxemburg paper that put the events into the context of other anti-regime revolutions;
  
• Stories from Lebanon about the Facebook link, the peril of burning tyres
  and the crucial role of youth in the events;
  
• A Brazilian editorial page that made sure children could understand
  the message about why the press is vital in such a situation;
  
• French daily and weekly newspapers for children that explained the events and the countries to children as young as age 7;
  
• An Indian paper that allowed students to write news of Cairo in a diary format as part of a 'Newspaper Making Contest' issue.
  
• A Singapore paper that encouraged teachers to explore what would happen if such a protest emerged there;
  
• A Hong Kong paper whose young columnists wrote about why youth protest.
  
• A German wire service that explained how journalists work and children live in Egypt.

WAN-IFRA provides a variety of resources to publishers eager to attract younger readers to newspapers, on all platforms, through its Young Reader Network.

Full details can be found at www.wan-press.org/nie/join.php