To the Point

The Commercialization of Childhood

American advertisers spend an estimated 5 billion dollars a year appealing to children. Even when they're not the targets, kids see some 20,000 commercials a year, and research shows that such messages have a correlative effect. One mother's group says it's time to crack down. We evaluate the impact of media on children, and who's really responsible for what kids are exposed to in our highly commercial culture with marketing consultants, media researchers, an activist mother, and the founder of a magazine by, for, and about teen girls. Newsmaker: "Apocalyptic" Human Toll in The Congo - The death toll from war in The Congo is now estimated at 2.5 million people in just two years of fighting, a third more than died in 18 years of war in Sudan. But the majority of casualties did not come from the warfare itself. Michael Despines, of the International Rescue Committee, says that the war has taken a tragic toll on Congo's infrastructure. Reporter's Notebook: Impact of Execution Tape Broadcast - Last night, New York's WNYC and public radio stations around the US broadcast the harrowing sounds of official executions. Producer David Isay says his intent was to inform Americans at a time when many states are considering a moratorium on the death penalty. Ethicist Jane Kirtley weighs the value of such broadcasts.