"Today we know very well [that] cigarette
smoking kills 4000 smokers, 50,000 nonsmokers and more important,
we have strong data that [shows] smoking in the movies encourages
kids to smoke," says Dr. Stanton Glantz, director of
UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education.
A new
report by Commercial Alert shows that 6 out of 10 movies
advertised on Channel One News since January 2000, have contained
scenes of tobacco use. Obligation supplied Commercial
Alert the list of movies.
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, "Few parents
know that Hollywood movie studios use Channel One News to market
movies to impressionable young people. School time is sacrificed
as Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures and many
other studios purchase time on Channel One. These studios know
they are buying a captive audience. They also know that Channel
One’s standards are low. Channel One has approved movies that promote
underage drinking and drug use and, of course, smoking. The money-grabbing
fat cats that run Channel One News have been too reckless for too
long. This report highlights yet another reason for schools to
pull the plug on this hype-commercial, controversial, classroom
TV show."
