Journalists/Media - U.S. Media Literacy Week

Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) with NASED and NAMLE

We’re Meagan Wolfe, President of the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED) and the Chief Election Official of Wisconsin, and Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, Executive Director of the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE).

We’re excited to be here together to answer your questions about what media literacy is, why it’s important to elections, how election officials are combating false information about elections, and any other election administration or media literacy questions you might have. Media literacy skill building helps across all subjects, but it’s especially important with elections to help build resilience to all of the false information out there about election administration in the United States.

NASED is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, professional association for state election officials in all 50 states, DC, and the five US territories. In 40 states, the Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor is the Chief Election Official, and in those states, the election director works for the Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor. In the other 16 states and territories, including in Meagan’s state of Wisconsin, the Chief Election Official typically works for a bipartisan board or commission – Meagan is the Administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Whether they are a Chief Election Official or work for a Chief Election Official, the person filling the election director role implements new policies and technologies, works with local election officials, and so much more.

Founded in 1997, NAMLE is a nonpartisan, 501(c)3 professional organization that represents a diverse network of people and organizations committed to advancing media literacy education. As the leading voice, convener, and resource for media literacy education, NAMLE aims to make media literacy highly valued and widely practiced as an essential life skill. Michelle Ciulla Lipkin began her career in children’s television production, in various roles on both corporate and production teams, and has been the executive director of NAMLE since 2012. She earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from New York University and is currently an Adjunct Lecturer at Brooklyn College where she teaches Media Literacy.

Media Literacy Packs Power in Civics

Media literacy is a central part of civics instruction, but integrating the two topics is no easy task. Addressing issues of equity and social justice can feel even more complicated, especially as challenges to teaching civics and media literacy increase. Join us to explore how media literacy underpins civics, learn about resources to support educators, and hear about our experience developing a new civics curriculum that harnesses and builds these essential media literacy skills. Panelists, including teachers and civics experts, will share their insights and strategies and engage participants in discussion. This session, designed for teachers, is jointly presented by NAMLE and Education Development Center, Inc.

Media Literacy and the Civic Mission of Schools

Our country and constitutional democracy can only thrive when schools prepare the next generation to be literate and independent consumers and producers of news and media. That mission can only be achieved when schools first reflect a broader civic mission. For decades, that mission has been underresourced in terms of both funding and time on topic. The bipartisan Civics Secures Democracy Act offers an opportunity to invest a billion dollars a year for the next five years in civics and U.S. history, explicitly calling out functions of media literacy. Come learn about how the media literacy community serves as a linchpin to getting this bill to the finish line and reclaiming the civic mission of schools.

Getting Involved with the Teaching for Democracy Alliance

TFDA is a national alliance composed of 19 national nonpartisan organizations that was formed in 2016 as a collective voice to encourage democratic learning and to better equip K-12 teachers and administrators to bring practical democracy lessons to their students. Please join us for an information session to learn more about TFDA’s work, high-quality resources available for teachers and school leaders, and learning opportunities.