The Nov. 28 Annenberg Research Seminar featured a discussion with Laurie Ouellette, professor of communication studies at the University of Minnesota, on the topic: “It's Not TV, It’s Birth Control: Reality Television and the ‘Problem’ of Teenage Pregnancy.” Ouellette discussed the proliferation of reality T.V. shows as a form of public education that addresses the issue of teenage and unplanned pregnancy. These shows have given networks high ratings at a low production cost but they also "claim to be effective forms of birth control," said Ouellette. She highlighted that these shows have helped in the re-appropriation of the problem as an issue of improper life planning, whereas it used to be thought of as an issue tied to "welfare dependency" and "racialized constructions of poverty and promiscuity." "The pregnant teenager was characterized as an individual who had failed to organize her life properly," said Ouellette. Shows such as these helped "promote a mission of responsible behavior." She compared earlier NBC and VH1 shows like Baby Borrowers and Dad Camp to today's MTV shows 16 and Pregnant and Teenage Mom. None of these shows condemn teenagers for their involvement in premarital sex or focus on methods of contraception, Ouellette said, but they demonstrate the difficulties and hardships involved in raising children. On the show Baby Borrowers, "when the teens were asked on camera whether they would be having children any time soon they all said no," said Ouellette. Furthermore, these shows provided study guides for parents and teens online as well as worksheets on life planning, she said. However, the outsourcing of sex-ed through commercial media has had conflicting effects. Ouellette said that the MTV shows were "the least didactic of reality TV's birth control initiatives" due to their "docusoap" focus that seemed to "confuse profit making with problem solving," she said. Although opinion polls have shown that the programs taught young viewers the hardships and sacrifice involved in raising a child and have facilitated discussions for life planning, they have also "glamorized teen pregnancy," said Ouellette. Those who oppose the shows feel that the generous monetary compensations given to the subjects on the show coupled with the accompanying celebrity status have actually encouraged girls to become pregnant for the chance to appear on television, said Ouellette. "Getting on TV and appearing in magazines is valued as a form of success," said Ouellette. The subjects of the shows are turned into tabloid celebrities and magazines follow them through failures such as instances of cheating or appearing in court and successes such as graduating high school or getting married well after the season ends. The media attention given to these pregnant teenagers has been "difficult to reconcile with public service claims of MTV, " said Ouellette. However, Teen Mom is getting ready to move on to its fourth season whereas the more didactic Baby Borrowers and Dad Camp were called off after a short run of episodes.