Teen Pregnancy and the Media

There has been talk of teen pregnancy during nightly news broadcasts, on television shows with a journalism bent, in newspapers and magazines for years. Just since the beginning of 2008, however, there have been a number of teen pregnancy stories that have been covered with a great attention to detail.

Upon an Oscar nomination for Ellen Page in her role as Juno, the evening news and primetime news magazines - along with printed magazines and newspapers - focused on the battle between those who felt the film depicted something real and those who believed that it glorified teen pregnancy.

Not much later in the year,  discussion turned to Jamie Lynn Spears - younger sister of the singer Britney Spears and the star of Zoey 101 on Nickelodeon. She was pregnant at 16. Newscasters pounced on the story; parents were scandalized because here was a girl whom their children looked up to.

In Denver, pregnant teens asked for maternity leave for a period of weeks after giving birth so they would be able to recover and bond with their babies. Near Boston, Massachusetts in one high school alone, 17 teens became pregnant during the course of the school year and the the news media following the story described a pregnancy pact.

More disturbing, however, for those who are concerned about the prevalence of teen pregnancy, was the news that, for the first time in 15 years the number of pregnant teens had increased. And, who could forget that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, soon after accepting John McCain’s offer, acknowledged that her own 17-year-old daughter was pregnant.

The news media picks up on teen pregnancy, in part, because the topic helps to increase ratings (or newspaper/magazine purchases). However, it is also given attention because there are conflicting opinions and numerous debates about the topic. While it seems as though some would like the issue of teen pregnancy swept under the rug, others believe that the conversations are only beginning; the media will continue to respond when the stories break, and the controversy will go on.