I am currently reading  Blur: How to Know What's True in the Age of Information Overload* by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel. I can tell how much I like a book based on the number of underlined passages. My pencil has been getting quite a workout through these pages. The book asks an important question, "What is the future of truth and how as citizens are we to discern it?"  The book was published in 2010. 6 years before Donald Trump became President and the phrase "fake news" infiltrated the mainstream lexicon. It serves as a reminder that this conversation started long before today's highly charged environment. I  am reading it in hopes that it will not only inform my teaching this fall but also help me be better equipped to talk with people who are interested in media literacy in the age of "fake news." It seems that's the only thing people want to talk to me about these days. 

While I appreciate the attention "fake news" has brought to media literacy in general, I am getting more and more weary of the conversation that simplifies a very complicated information ecosystem. I am interested in deeper discussion, and I feel strongly that the NAMLE community has to do our part to make sure that broader conversation is happening. 

The upcoming Media Literacy Week is a great opportunity for all of us to ensure that media literacy is on the agenda in our schools and  communites. The 3rd Annual U.S. Media Literacy Week will take place November 6 - 10. How are you planning to get involved? It's not too early to start planning.  Coordinate an event at your school. Plan media literacy activities in your classroom. Partner with an organization in your community. Help with legislative efforts in your state. Contact us at medialiteracyweek@namle.net and let us know how you will join the efforts. 

NAMLE's Leadership Council and volunteers are working hard to organize toolkits, plan events, update the MLW website, and get things organized for the initiative's launch in September. We will continue to update you on all Media Literacy Week activities. Stay tuned for more information.

NAMLE NEWS

I am excited to announce the latest additions to NAMLE's Leadership Council and Student Leadership Council. Natasha Casey and Pamela L. Morris have joined NAMLE's Leadership Council.  Natasha Casey  is an  associate professor of communications at Blackburn College (Carlinville, Illinois) where she teaches a variety of courses including media and information literacy, communication theory, and advises the student newspaper.  Pamela L. Morris  is an assistant professor of  communications studies at Indiana University. Jimmeka Anderson is now a NAMLE Student Leadership Council Member. Jimmeka is a graduate student at Appalachian State University. I am honored to have an opportunity to work with Natasha, Pamela, and Jimmeka. Welcome aboard!
     

We received some wonderful student blog posts (including a video submission) from Brooklyn College and Roosevelt University. Check out the updates on our Student Voice Blog page here. Please contact me if you are interested in your students participating. I would love to get voices from all over the country represented. 



The latest issue of the Journal of Media Literacy Education is available. Check out issue 9.1 now.  Thanks, as always, to the JMLE team for putting another great issue together. 

I am proud to announce NAMLE Board Member Federico Subervi  will be inducted into the National Association of Hispanic Journalists' Hall of Fame.
During the NAHJ annual convention in Anaheim, CA in September, five of the nation's top journalists, academics and documentarians will be inducted. Read more about the honor here. Congratulations, Federico! A well-deserved honor!
I will leave you with a passage from Blur. "People who are more conscious of how the news is put together will find themselves talking back to the television set, stopping and rereading paragraphs of text, or commenting on the quality and content of news accounts. To these seemingly odd behaviors, we say bravo." 

Bravo, indeed.
Michelle Ciulla Lipkin's signature Michelle Ciulla Lipkin
Executive Director  mciullalipkin@namle.net @ciullalipkin @medialiteracyed
*What are you reading these days? 
Any recommendations to explore this important topic further?

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