More than 20 years ago Tipper Gore, the wife of then-Senator Al Gore (D-TN), initiated an educational effort. She had purchased a Prince album for her daughter—that was her first mistake!—and was shocked by some of the explicit lyrics.
When she tried to return the album, the store refused because it had been opened. But how could she know what it contained until she opened it?
So Tipper decided that parents needed some kind of information about what was on the records to help them make good decisions about whether those records were appropriate for their kids. She started writing about the issue, testifying before Congress (hubby no doubt helped a little there), and appearing on various talk shows around the country.
It was a time consuming effort, but necessary for people to learn about the issues and her concerns.
Parents face the same challenges with regards to children’s books: Are they appropriate for their young readers?
The answer many times, unfortunately, is no. But how does a parent know that without reading them? All of them? And who has the time to do that?
Facts on Fiction (www.factsonfiction.org) is doing for books what Tipper Gore did for music—only faster and better because of the technology. It follows a model developed by many online movie review sites.
The people behind the Facts on Fiction effort—educators, authors, business owners and parents—wanted to provide parents and educators with an online resource to assess children’s books, based on:
- Positive Elements
- Mature Subject Matter
- Profanity/Language
- Sexual Content
- Violence/Illegal Activity
- Tobacco/Alcohol/Drugs
- Disrespectful/Anti-Social Elements
Facts on Fiction states upfront that it is not an effort to censor books—Tipper was falsely accused of doing that with music, too. The non-profit organization just wants to make sure parents have access to information about the books their children might read.
For all the talk about how people misuse technology—for financial scams, pornography, terrorist activity, etc.—Facts on Fiction presents the positive side of new technology. Making good and useful information available to everyone . . . free.