Announcements

Stories about so-called “fake news” abound, and while the term is bandied about, it is little understood yet widely discussed.  Is “fake news” about bias?  About disagreements on fundamental principles or arguments?  About verifiable falsehoods or perceptions about truths?  About generating revenues through attention-seeking headlines and fabricated story lines?  As we often say in media literacy, we have questions about the answers.  But we can say with confidence that no one should “outsource” their brain for others to decide, nor do we wish to invite censorship or filtering.  As power flows to individuals through social media, the traditional notions of journalism are upended and we are now all citizen journalists, with the collective and individual responsibility to be thoughtful and critical before circulating or consuming opinions or gossip or so-called “fact.”  Whom do we trust, about what, and why? Who decides? Who checks the checkers?  Yes, we need media literacy!

To get started with your students, go to MediaLit Moments for classroom activities related to addressing fake news.  MediaLit Moments are short activities using the Key Questions and Core Concepts to teach critical thinking skills in K-12 classrooms.  And check back often, we regularly add new activities. 

Fake news isn't just an internet problem, it's a classroom crisis.  Recently published article by LA School Report, The 74, with comments from CML.  http://laschoolreport.com/fake-news-isnt-just-an-internet-problem-its-a-classroom-crisis-a-new-push-for-media-literacy/ 

"When searching for literature for my thesis I found a lot of material on media literacy but it seemed the more I found the more confused I became on the subject. It helped when I stumbled upon the CML MediaLit Kit. I think it's the most wise and well written on the subject and more importantly it combines theory and practice in a straightforward manner."  Jonas Jakobsen, Copenhagen, Denmark

The campaign Commit2MediaLit! is being launched for Media Literacy Week October 31-November 4.  Follow CML's  facebook page for updates and watch for YouTube videos with students and media literacy advocates from around the world.  We will bring you short video interviews of college students, taught by Dr. Natasha Casey and Spencer Brayton at Blackburn College in Carlinville, IL., and Brooklyn College and  high school students taught by Dr. Belinha De Abreu.  In addition, media literacy practitioners attending major meetings in San Francisco, Sao Paulo and Rome will be interviewed. All of these reports will be available on YouTube through a channel sponsored by the Center for Media Literacy: https://www.youtube.com/user/medialitkit and Twitter #Commit2MediaLit.  

The mission of Media Literacy Week is to highlight the power of media literacy education and its essential role in education today. For the full schedule of U.S. Media Literacy Week activities visit NAMLE.