FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2006

National Fatherhood Initiative Convenes Media Panel to Discuss Findings of New Survey on Dads' Attitudes on Fatherhood

Spike TV, Best Life, Washington Post, and WAMU-FM Representatives Discuss The Question, "Does The Media Get it Right on Fatherhood?"

(Washington, DC) – The National Fatherhood Initiative ( www.fatherhood.org) has released a brand new survey called "Pop's Culture: A National Survey on Dads' Attitudes on Fathering," which explores the attitudes of American fathers towards the institution of fatherhood. A panel discussion was held at the National Press Club on Wednesday, December 6 to examine the major findings of the study, and to discuss the question, "Does the media get it right on fatherhood?"

• Ninety-one percent of the respondents agreed that there is a father-absence crisis in America.
• Eighty-one percent of the surveyed fathers agreed that men generally perform better as fathers if they are married to the mothers of their children.
• Only slightly more than half of the fathers agreed, and less than a fourth "strongly agreed," that they felt adequately prepared for fatherhood when they first became fathers.
• Among the respondents as a whole, "work responsibilities" was most frequently given as an obstacle to being a good father; "the media/popular culture" and "financial problems" ranked next.
• Sixty-seven percent of the respondents agreed that the government should do more to help and support fathers.
• A small majority of the respondents agreed with statements that fathers are replaceable by mothers (53 percent) and by other men (57 percent).

Leon Harris, the moderator of the panel discussion, began the event by asking the panel what the media's responsibility is, if any, for the fact that 24 million American children live in fatherless households. Barras answered, "The media has often had an accepting attitude towards [mothers raising children without fathers around]. There is not a condemnation that comes or any real serious evaluation of what could happen. There is no concern about what happens to their child in the absence of a father. We [the media] do have influence, and we probably influence children and their parents in terms of how they perceive themselves."

Perrine stated, "As I started to look at the landscape of other men's magazines, I found that the idea of fatherhood – the word 'fatherhood' or the word 'child' – was almost a taboo. It is simply not something a lot of media outlets really cover."

Harris turned to the affect of "celebrity dads" and the attention they tend to get from the media. Kay responded, "Ozzie Osbourne. I don't think anybody is looking at that guy and saying "good dad." I hope not. But it was good entertainment for a while. We have to look at the audience and make some decisions, as folks in the media who program. At Nickelodeon, we have a far larger responsibility to portray fathers in a positive light, to portray mothers in a positive light, to portray families in a positive light than you might if you're at Spike TV, where it is not necessarily what we do. We have to then, at Spike, look at how else we want to talk about this and get the point across that it's important to be a father and it's important to spend more time with your kids."

Perrine added, "In a way, the media don't tell you the truth about fatherhood. It's a long term process and the rewards come over many, many years. But we don't let guys know that it's not gonna be all glamorous and love and hugs and kisses. It's gonna be a lot of discipline, and cleanup, and trips to Rite-Aid at 3 o'clock in the morning. Hard to make an interesting show out of that. But it's the kind of thing that we just skip over ... We need to better prepare guys for what the real experience is so that they are expecting what they are going to get and know what the long term rewards are."

Harris asked the panel what responsibility the media has in making a difference in the issue of father absence. Kay said, "At Spike, we're in the entertainment business. But we should be conscious of and spend more time thinking about how we portray fathers on TV. When we ask guys who their role model is for being a dad, they say their mother. That's a wake-up call. And it's something you have to think about a lot when you're portraying fathers on TV. How do we make sure that in the future, kids grow up and say 'my father is my role model for being a father'? If we can get there, we will have done some good work."

Harris sought an answer from the panel on who should be the target of messages that encourage better fathering. Haynes responded, "I think the people who need to be encouraged are the people on the front lines and that's the men, the dads. Because we can't wait for the government or other people to try to swoop in and resolve it. This particular story I worked on with these two kids is a prime example. These are kids who didn't wait for anyone to help them. They did it on their own. And their fathers did the same thing. They are two fathers who took in their sons' friends – maybe they didn't have dads at home, maybe they didn't have anyone at home encouraging them to do their homework – but when they were at his house, he made sure that they did their homework. He was a father to them. And I think that's really what needs to be done is to encourage dads that they can be role models to their children and other children [who don't have dads].

The premier fatherhood renewal organization in the country, National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) works in every sector and at every level of society to engage fathers in the lives of their children. NFI's national public service advertising campaign promoting fatherhood has generated television, radio, print, Internet, and outdoor advertising valued at over $435 million. Through its National Fatherhood Clearinghouse and Resource Center, NFI offers a wide range of innovative resources to assist fathers and organizations interested in reaching and supporting fathers. Learn more at www.fatherhood.org.