As the debates continue over violence in society, guns and gun laws, policies on mental illness, and the safety of our children in schools, WTVP-Public Media for Central Illinois will air WHAT NEXT AFTER NEWTOWN: WHAT OUR COUNTRY AND COMMUNITIES CAN DO. The special presentation from WNET in New York City will preempt regular programming on Friday, Jan. 11th from 7:00 - 10:00pm on WTVP-HD 47.1 (or check local cable/satellite listings).

The three-hour program is divided into the following segments:

1. The mind of a killer…a look at the latest theories about what causes killing sprees. The program will explore the issues of depression and rage and why they often focus on a school environment.
    
2. Public policy and mental illness...What is available for a troubled young person? Are there enough diagnostic tools available? What kind of treatment is available and affordable?
    
3. School security…How much security is in place now and what lessons can we learn from the Newtown and other tragedies? What kind of training is in place now?
    
4. Talking to children and finding a path to healing…How will age groups react differently over time? How can communities heal and what lessons can we learn from other communities who have dealt with mass killings?
    
5. Violence in the media…Are we as a society becoming more accustomed to violence because we see it everywhere, from the non-stop news cycle which dwells on tragedies such as this, to video games, movies and television? Do these images have a real effect on people?
    
6. Accessibility of weapons, especially assault weapons…Is there any reason for any civilian to have these weapons of destruction? Or, will they continue to slip in no matter what we do? Is a more realistic solution not banning guns but putting more guns into the hands of security guards, teachers and others?
    

In the coming months, WTVP will continue to look at these and other related issues.

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For more information, contact Linda Miller at (309) 495-0591.

WTVP-Public Media, Central Illinois’ PBS station, has been serving the community since 1971 through broadcast and services. Now, WTVP also provides quality educational content to the world at www.wtvp.org, Facebook (facebook.com/wtvp.org) and Twitter (@WTVP).

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