NewsLit Nation Insider: Meet our new ambassadors

 
The past few months have been a whirlwind — for me and surely for you! We have been busy reviewing applications for our News Literacy Ambassador Program, made up of a group of educators around the country who organize local efforts in the fight against misinformation. These ambassadors are here to support you, to lead events, give presentations, and identify the unique needs of educators in their school districts and regions. Learning about and meeting so many prospective ambassadors as we reviewed applications has been incredibly gratifying — so many of you are doing such critically important work!
And, I am pleased to announce that our expanded cohort of ambassadors officially joined the program this month: Deborah Domingues-Murphy (Pittsburgh), Amanda Escheman (Colorado), Debbie Keen (Texas), Jill Hofmockel (Iowa) and Molly Roquet (San Francisco Bay Area). Visit our ambassador page to learn about all ambassadors and to locate one in your region.

To find out who our October giveaway winner is, please head over to NewsLit Nation and don’t miss our November gift giveaway: Books! Entering is easy; just view the basic details in the forum and be sure to register, if you haven’t yet.

Did you know Alan Miller, NLP’s founder and CEO, recently received AARP’s prestigious Purpose Prize®? This award is given to extraordinary individuals age 50 and older who tackle some of the greatest societal challenges of our time. As an honoree, Alan and NLP are eligible for AARP’s Inspire Award. The public votes to choose the winner, whose organization receives $10,000. Every grant and gift ensures our programs remain free of charge, so please consider voting for NLP and encouraging others to do so. The deadline is Nov. 29. Thank you!

Here for you,
Miriam Romais

Professional Learning
TODAY, 2 p.m. ET, webinar: Productive conversations without confrontation
Just in time for the holidays, join NLP for a free webinar designed to effectively prepare you for potentially difficult dinner table conversations. The third session in our four-part webinar series will focus on how to have productive, non-confrontational discussions with someone whose beliefs are fueled by misinformation. The series is sponsored by Fore River Foundation and is offered in partnership with AARP’s OATS/Senior Planet program. Register here.

Nov. 22, 9 a.m. PT: NewsLitCamp® San Francisco Bay Area
If you're an educator in the Bay Area, join us for our immersive NewsLitCamp, featuring breakout sessions with journalists from Local News Matters. This event is free, thanks to generous support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Register here.

Nov. 30, 4 p.m. ET, webinar: Conspiracy theories, extremism and TikTok: A conversation with a disinformation researcher
In this free webinar, Peter Adams, NLP’s senior vice president of education, and Abbie Richards, TikTok influencer and disinformation researcher, will discuss conspiratorial thinking patterns, pitfalls and common strategies employed online by conspiracy theory adherents. Shaelynn Farnsworth, NLP’s director of educator network expansion, will moderate the conversation. Register here.

Resources
“How to speak up without starting a showdown” [Infographic]
Misinformation is always problematic, but when it appears alongside pet photos and family updates on social media, it can be especially frustrating and unwelcome. What should we do when we see misinformation shared by family and friends? Use these six tips — with some helpful phrases for getting started — as a guide on how to speak up without starting a showdown.

New infographic and quiz: “Is it legit? Five steps for vetting a news source”
Many sources compete for attention online, including partisan blogs and bogus sites posing as legitimate news organizations. It can be tough to know what to trust. That’s why we partnered with SmartNews, a news app for mobile devices, to create a new infographic that walks you through the steps to learn how to evaluate the credibility of sources — and spot the red flags signaling that a source might not be legit. Then put your source-vetting skills to the test with this new quiz.

Reminder: Checkology® contest! "Hometown Headlines"
Last call for student submissions to the “Hometown Headlines” contest on Checkology, which closes Monday, Nov. 22. This contest asks students to pitch us a newsworthy story idea from their local community. The winner will receive professional assistance to develop their pitch into an article! Learn more about contests in the Checkology Help Center.
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