Teens Get Real With Drug Prevention Messages In Award-Winning TV Documentary

"Straight Scoop: Kids Talking To Kids About Drugs"

LOS ANGELES, CA -- (INTERNET WIRE) -- 04/06/2000 -- Six teenage journalists hit the road last summer to take the pulse of their peers' attitudes toward drugs. What they saw, the real-life stories they heard, and their raw reactions to sometimes chilling stories of drug abuse are captured in a frank, compelling documentary called "Straight Scoop: Kids Talking to Kids About Drugs," which premiers today in Los Angeles at 9:00 a.m. at Hamilton High School.

To raise awareness about drug prevention and to discuss the critical role parents and adults play in preventing kids from using drugs, MediaOne is holding a "town-meeting" style discussion after the screening. MediaOne Cub Reporters Dela and Osmel along with KNBC's news reporter David Cruz will mediate the discussion between kids, parents, educators, community leaders and government officials about issues raised in the documentary.

"There's nothing more powerful than kids talking to kids about drugs," said David L. Winter, principal of Hamilton High School. "This documentary is compelling and it is an honor for us to host the premier." Mr. Winter added that the event is one of the pro-active ways that Hamilton High School is using every method available to educate its students about the dangers of substance abuse.

This 30-minute documentary, which won a 1999 bronze Telly Award for television excellence, debuts on the West Coast today on your local MediaOne channel, will be repeated and air in 15 other MediaOne markets nationwide. MediaOne's web site, www.streetscene.net, which is dedicated to Los Angeles area youth, will be posting stories written by junior Cub Reporters about the documentary. Partnering with the cable company MediaOne, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored "Straight Scoop Road Tour" as part of its National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.

In August 1999, six MediaOne Cub Reporters (ages 15-17) from MediaOne's journalism internship embarked on a 10-day bus tour through Miami, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Richmond and DC to get the real facts on drugs. Working with professional camera crews, the reporters interviewed kids at schools, malls, and rehab centers to get firsthand accounts of how drugs negatively impact young people's lives.

"You can't say this video is just about drugs. It's about people and what's inside them and what's making them do drugs," said MediaOne Cub Reporter Dela, of Richmond, VA. Straight Scoop explores the many voices of drug use - from the kid who never used drugs to the kid who experimented and became addicted. In wide- ranging interviews, the Cubs discuss many topics, including peer pressure to try drugs, the dangers of using drugs, the importance of making good decisions and the power of parents in keeping kids drug-free.

"Young people delivering credible drug messages to their peers is probably the best way for us to prevent drug abuse among America's youth," said White House drug policy Director, Barry McCaffrey. "We're pleased to work with MediaOne and its Cub Reporter program to communicate the facts about drug abuse and demonstrate that most kids are rejecting drugs."

"We're proud that our Cub Reporter program is an integral part of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign," said MediaOne President and CEO Jan Peters. "This was an exciting educational experience for the Cubs and a great opportunity for MediaOne to help make a difference in the communities we serve." ONDCP's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, a five-year, $1 billion effort legislated by the U.S. Congress in 1997, seeks to raise public awareness about the negative consequences of drug abuse and decrease drug use among kids age 9-18.

For more information about the Straight Scoop documentary or the Media Campaign visit the following websites:
www.mediaonegroup.com/cool and
www.mediacampaign.org.

Information for parents, www.theantidrug.com.

Information for youth, www.freevibe.com.

DELA

18 year-old high school senior from Richmond, VA Dela is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, in the National Thespian Society, and has won the Brown Book Award, the Williams College Book Award and awards for French and Latin. Dela's professional aspirations include acting, journalism, medicine and law-all careers that, in her words, can "impact millions of people."

OSMEL

16 year-old high school junior from Miami, FL With his passion and focus on the performing arts, Osmel hopes to eventually receive a drama scholarship and continue his education in the theatre before moving on to the silver screen. When he's not busy playing golf, basketball or scuba diving, he's acting in commercials for Pepsi and Blockbuster.