Talking war and worry, kids air Iraq concerns

“Nick News” maven Linda Ellerbee has found the perfect launching point for her latest ‘tween-targeted discussion show -- one of her best. At the outset of “Iraq: Facts, Fears and Feelings” (Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on Nickelodeon), an idea-packed, thoughtful and surprisingly reassuring show, ABC news anchor Peter Jennings is shown on tape responding to Ellerbee’s question about whether TV’s heavy war coverage might be too much for, say, a 12-year-old.

Jennings’ too-casual answer is that a 12-year-old who feels that way “has the wonderful right” to turn the channel.

That gets the conversational ball rolling for Ellerbee’s in-studio guests, ages 10 to 14 -- some Muslim, many with family members in the armed services -- who point out that constant “breaking news” crawls and teasers are hard to ignore, as are the government’s frequent announcements of color-coded terrorism alerts.

With a few comments from psychologist Bruce Arnold, and kept on track by Ellerbee’s brisk moderation, boys and girls of different backgrounds express their fears for their own and others’ well-being, their concerns for the children of Iraq and their worries about a parent who’s overseas. Discussion also centers on the effect of rumors and school gossip and the similarity between TV’s images of the war and video games.

They also make very clear the importance of having an adult ear, of finding comfort in one’s religion or in simply a quiet place, and of, yes, tuning out and getting on with daily activities.

Ellerbee winds things up with convincing reassurance, driving home a comforting message of balance and perspective with a brief deconstruction of fear as a physiological response, a pep talk on resilience and life-affirming images of everyday activities.

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‘Nick News’

What: “Iraq: Facts, Fears and Feelings”

Where: Nickelodeon

When: Sunday, 8:30 p.m.

Rating: The network has rated it TV-Y (designed for children age 7 and above)