Accurate Depictions Of Health And Social Issues (NAPSA)—When it comes to health and social issues, more and more people are getting their information from television—not just news programs, but dramatic hits like “E.R.” and “CSI”as well. With this in mind, the televi- sion industry has responded, by working to make sureits fictional programs have more fact-based portrayals of such issues as drug abuse, addiction and treatment; gun violence and firearm safety; terrorism and homeland security; mental health and illness; and sexual risk-taking and HIV/AIDS. One way the networks accomplish these goals is with the help of First Draft, a technical assistance hotline developed by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc. (EIC) to help writers, directors, producers and other entertainment creators accurately depict health andsocial issues. The program has been helping numerousproductions create true- to-life, accurate portrayals of pressing issues that affect society as a whole. And when film and television present accurate, science-based information, the view- ing public ends up learning about important health concerns. Many of the TV shows which accurately depict drug, alcohol and tobacco use and addiction are recognized annually through EIC’s PRISM Awards. Take PRISM Award winning “E.R.” for instance. What other source of medical information reaches so many millions of people on a weekly basis? Meanwhile, smokers everywhere were able to relate bh bh Hit television show “CSI”(cast photo above) educates audiences through accurate depictions. to the frustrations and setbacks faced by Carrie Bradshaw, the character played by Sarah Jessica Parker on the PRISM Award-win- ning “Sex and theCity.” “Hopefully,” says Parker, “[Carrie’s] struggle with this habit has illuminated the problem, and maybe even inspired others to look at their own nicotine addictions.” Just as First Draft requests come from a wide variety of genres and shows, the information requested also runs the gamut. For instance, one of the first calls to come in to EIC was for information on the intoxicating effects of licking toads. As farfetched as that sounds, it was just another example of a pro- gram’s creators wanting to present accurate information to their viewers. To learn more about EIC, the PRISM Awards and First Draft, visit the Web site at www.eic online.org.
