Wacky Press Releases, one in a series

Apparently, the megasuccess of "CSI" isn't convincing teens to pursue a career in crime forensics.
Maybe 'cause its... um... gross?

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Edwin Bodensiek
(719) XXX-XXXX

"CSI" Fails to Inspire Teens' Career Aspirations, According to a New Poll

Teens Rank CSI 33rd out of a Possible 35 "Ideal" Careers

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- The television show Perry Mason inspired many teens growing up in the '50s to consider careers in law. In the 1960s, Star Trek motivated a generation of young scientists to pursue careers in NASA. And in the 1970s, Emergency One introduced countless future Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to the challenges and rewards experienced by paramedics, while C.H.I.P.S. is often credited with generating interest in law enforcement. Television has the power to inspire young people to consider new careers. However, one of today's top television series, CSI, is not inspiring young people to consider Crime Scene Investigations as a profession, according to a new poll.

Though the CSI series and its spin-offs are popular with teen viewers, the career of CSI/Forensics was ranked 33rd out of a list of 35 possible "ideal careers" by 1,000 teens between the ages of 13 and 18 in a poll conducted by Junior Achievement in October and November, 2003. In all, 12.8 percent of teens selected "businessperson" as their ideal job, nearly twice the number who selected "doctor" (6.5%), "teacher" (5.4%), and "computer field" (4.9%). "CSI/Forensics" was selected by 0.6 percent of poll participants, trailing "Mechanic" and "Construction," but ahead of "Artist" and "Photographer." The results are from the JA Interprise Poll. For a complete list of ideal jobs, go to www.ja.org.