The purpose of this paper is to express the importance of visual/media literacy and the teaching of critical television viewing. An awareness of the properties and characteristics of television--including camera angles and placement, editing, and emotionally involving subject matter--aids viewers in the critical viewing process. The knowledge of how television works can be used to help teachers, parents, and students understand the potential of media to manipulate. Parents and teachers can support critical viewing by asking children to control their viewing time, analyze what they see and hear, and share their judgements with other children and adults. Bias in newspapers and television news can be detected through selection and omission of details; headlines; photos, captions and camera angles; use of names and titles; and choice of words. (AEF)