Events Archives

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project, will introduce lessons on the Checkology®️ virtual classroom and help you get started with the platform.

30-Minute Webinar: Preview Checkology

Educators, maybe you’ve heard of the Checkology virtual classroom, the News Literacy Project’s free, award-winning e-learning platform with 20 interactive lessons for students in grades 5-12. But have you had the chance to teach with Checkology?

Join us for an engaging 30-minute webinar led by NLP staff to learn more about Checkology’s foundational lessons in essential news literacy topics, including:

Recognizing and debunking misinformation
Understanding algorithms and generative artificial intelligence
Identifying credible sources

You’ll come away with a plan for getting started on Checkology and with practical tips for integrating lessons into your curriculum. There will also be time for questions.

We’re holding multiple sessions of the same event — choose the one that works best for your schedule!

Nov. 19, 2:30-3 CT

Nov. 19, 4-4:30 CT

Nov. 20, 6-6:30 CT

Nov. 20, 8-8:30 CT

🎁 All attendees will be automatically entered into a drawing to win a care package of NLP goodies.

(Can’t make it at these times but still interested? Email us at [email protected] so we can set up a solo session that works better for your schedule.)

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project on edWeb.net, will offer strategies for empowering students to think critically as they scroll on social media.

Teach With TikTok: Help students stick to the facts on social media!

Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024
5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

Hear us out—TikTok has a place in your classroom! Social media continues to shape the way information is shared and consumed, especially by young adults.

Given the deluge of online content, students are bound to encounter mis- and disinformation created and amplified by bad actors. And the sheer volume of daily social media posts makes these sites difficult to monitor and regulate. Nonetheless, TikTok is a regular news source for more than half of its users, according to the Pew Research Center.

In this free webinar, the News Literacy Project’s Alexa Volland and Brittney Smith will share insights and practical strategies to help students identify and debunk falsehoods, misinformation and conspiracy theories on social media.

Register

Using the lens of news literacy, attendees will:

Investigate examples of misinformation on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X.
Learn tips to fact-check viral posts before sharing.
Explore strategies to help students identify credible sources on social media.

This edWebinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, school leaders, district leaders and education technology leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity – reserve your spot today!

(Can’t make it at this time but still interested? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.)

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project on edWeb.net, will offer nonpartisan, practical strategies to help future voters make educated decisions at the polls when it’s their turn to vote.

Navigating election misinformation: Lies, myths, and scares— oh my!

Wednesday, October 9, 2024
5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

It’s October and we’re heading into a very spooky time—not just Halloween, but also election season! Over these remaining weeks before Election Day, helping students develop news literacy skills is critical for the next generation to become engaged critical thinkers prepared to make educated decisions at the polls.

This free webinar is designed to empower educators with free, nonpartisan tools and resources to take the “scare factor” out of teaching about election-season topics. Join NLP’s Brittney Smith and Dan Evon as they share insights and practical strategies to help future voters understand how to think about the news, not what to think.

Register

Using the lens of news literacy, attendees will:

Explore strategies to help students identify credible sources, understand the role of a free press in democracy, and identify and even debunk misinformation.
Learn about NLP’s new election-focused misinformation dashboard and its potential uses in the classroom.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity – reserve your spot today!

(Can’t make it at this time but still interested? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.)

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project on edWeb.net, explores resources every educator needs in their toolkit to teach news literacy this school year.

Building a foundation with news literacy: Essential tools for educators

Wednesday, August 21, 2024
5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

In today’s world, news literacy is too important to leave out of your curriculum – in fact, it’s where you must start if you want to ensure that your students understand how to think critically and identify news, sources and information they can trust. News literacy skills have a part to play in nearly any subject or grade level, so why not develop them from the get-go?

In this edWebinar, let the News Literacy Project help you kick off the back-to-school season with free foundational tools you can count on! You’ll hear about what makes news literacy the key building block of media literacy, why it’s so critical today, and how many states are meeting this moment with news and media literacy education requirements.

Watch

The News Literacy Project’s Brittney Smith and Susan Minichiello will cover the resources every educator needs in their teaching toolkit this year, including a key framework for developing and assessing news literacy skills, a newsletter that helps you bring teachable moments from the news straight to your students, and standards-aligned Checkology® lessons.

This edWebinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity – reserve your spot today!

(Can’t make it at this time but still interested? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.)

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project, explores and introduces educators to the Checkology virtual classroom and lessons that are ideal for the back-to-school season.

Webinar: Get started with Checkology and discover what’s new for 2024-25

Thursday, August 15, 2024
5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

In this free, 30-minute webinar designed for educators, learn all you need to know about using the Checkology virtual classroom, the News Literacy Project’s award-winning, free e-learning platform. The News Literacy Project’s Brittney Smith and Erin Olson will lead this discussion, which will include insights and recommendations for educators new to Checkology as well as those who’ve used it in the past.

Watch

Attendees will:

Receive a primer on how to set up your account and assign lessons.
Explore some of the best lessons for beginning to develop news literacy skills.
Get one of the first looks at our rebooted lesson on algorithms and generative AI.

Add this short webinar to your back-to-school prep, and gain time-saving tips and tools to help you ease into a new school year!

This webinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity – reserve your spot today!

(Can’t make it at this time but still interested? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.)

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project, explores virtual lessons and other resources that can be used to teach students fact-checking skills over the summer.

Webinar: Introducing Camp Fact-Check

Wednesday, May 29, 2024
5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

In this free, 30-minute webinar designed for educators teaching summer school or planning for next school year, learn about our Camp Fact-Check kit – which builds valuable fact-checking skills that students in grades 6-12 can apply across subjects. You’ll come away with a better understanding of lessons in the Checkology®️ virtual classroom, as well as other free classroom resources, including infographics, posters and even TikToks to help guide your teaching of news literacy concepts.

Register today (it’s free!)

You’ll learn how to develop and boost students’ abilities in areas such as:

Assessing the credibility of sources and claims.
Googling “like a pro.”
Debunking rumors and conspiratorial thinking.

NLP educator-experts Erin Olson and Shaelynn Farnsworth will lead this 30-minute session.

This webinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity – reserve your spot today!

(Can’t make it at this time but still interested? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.)

Vetting election information: How service members, veterans and military families can get credible voting information

Free
Virtual panel discussion
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT Tuesday, May 21

As the 2024 election season is underway, falsehoods about voting and ballot issues already are circulating widely. Bad actors exploit a charged political atmosphere by spreading false claims about candidates, disinformation about how to vote and baseless rumors that undermine trust in election systems and infrastructure.

Military service members, veterans and their families in particular encounter conspiracy theories and other types of mis-and disinformation frequently. In a recent poll of Military Times readers, 57% said they personally have been targeted.

To break through this confusing and often misleading information landscape, the News Literacy Project is hosting a panel of experts who work with the military community for a virtual discussion about common types of election-related misinformation and practical tips and tools for finding reliable news sources before voting.

Watch now

About the panelists

Richard Brookshire is the CEO and co-founder of the Black Veterans Project, which advances reforms to address racial inequalities in veterans benefits and advocates for reparations. He is a former infantry combat medic and Army veteran. He also is a creative producer of the film Just Call Me Lucki, which is about the first Black woman to graduate from the U.S. Army’s Intelligence School.

Joe Plenzler is a Marine Corps veteran and a board member and communications advisor for We the Veterans and Military Families. He has served as a poll worker as part of the organization’s Vet the Vote program, which encourages military veterans and families to continue serving their country as election volunteers.

Nikki Wentling covers disinformation and extremism for Military Times as a Military Veterans in Journalism Fellow. She has reported on veterans and military communities for eight years and has also covered technology and politics.

Scott Wiedmann is the director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, which administers federal responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. He has been with the program, which is part of the U.S. Department of Defense, since 1993.

About the moderator

Zack Baddorf is a Navy veteran, journalist and co-founder of Military Veterans in Journalism, which seeks to get more military veterans working in America’s newsrooms. He has more than 15 years of reporting experience from more than 30 countries and has had his work published in the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC, Reuters and more.

Watch now

Finding water in a news desert
Preparing for elections when news coverage is scarce

Free
Virtual panel discussion
6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT Wednesday, April 24

When local news coverage is scarce, how do you find out what’s on the ballot in your community? As legacy news sources struggle – especially in rural areas – information becomes harder to find, and it can feel especially fraught as we prepare to vote. Meanwhile, pink-slime news outfits, which masquerade as local news sources but are funded by political partisans, and social media rumor mills are popping up to fill the void left by downsized or shuttered local news outlets.

Even with these challenges there are still ways you can be informed about ballot initiatives and candidates running for office – including reports on their spending and where they stand on the issues.

The News Literacy Project has invited three experts – Benjy Hamm, director of the University of Kentucky’s Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues; Alana Rocha, editor of the Rural News Network; and Brianna Lennon, county clerk for Boone County, Missouri and co-host of the podcast High Turnout Wide Margins – to walk us through how people living in news deserts can prepare to vote in 2024. We’ll talk about obstacles to finding credible information, as well as tools you can use to investigate the who, what, when, where, why and how of the 2024 elections.

Watch recording

About the panelists

Benjy Hamm is the director of the University of Kentucky’s Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, which researches trends, issues and ideas in rural journalism and gives advice and workshops for professionals. Hamm is a veteran newspaper editor, having led news operations for Landmark Community Newspapers in Shelbyville, Kentucky, as well as the Herald-Journal and the Lancaster News, both in South Carolina.

Alana Rocha leads the Rural News Network, a resource hub for newsrooms who are members of the Institute for Nonprofit News. Rocha works with 70 network outlets in 46 states to amplify coverage from rural areas. She was a longtime news and politics journalist in Florida, Kansas and Texas.

Brianna Lennon is the county clerk for Boone County, Missouri. Before she was elected to that office in 2018, she served in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and also was deputy director of elections in the Missouri Secretary of State’s Election Integrity Unit. She co-hosts the award-winning podcast High Turnout Wide Margins, which covers issues for election administrators and gives insight into election processes for voters.

About the moderator

Hannah Covington is the News Literacy Project’s senior director of education content and hosts the video series News Goggles, which provides a behind-the-scenes look at news coverage and journalists’ work. As a journalist, Hannah covered local government and breaking news at the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. She has also written for the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman. Previously, she was an adjunct instructor, working with high school and undergraduate students at Tulsa Community College and the University of Tulsa.

Watch recording

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project and hosted by edWeb, explores misinformation in today’s digital landscape, including a close look at generative AI.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024
5:00 PM ET

In today’s world, misinformation is more than an inconvenience—it’s one of the greatest threats to our democracy. Whether or not your students are voting this fall, you can help ensure that they don’t fall for rumors, falsehoods, or AI-generated deceptions by empowering them with critical news literacy skills.

Join NLP’s Peter Adams and Brittney Smith for an educator’s guide to misinformation in today’s digital landscape, including a close look at generative AI. In addition to discussing fundamental tools and tips for fact checking and misinformation busting, they will explore how AI technology continues to evolve and how it can even be used to enrich the learning experience.

Register today (it’s free!)

Topics to be covered include:

The state of today’s digital landscape and its implications in an election year
Strategies for helping students determine the credibility of evidence and sources
Best practices for teaching about misinformation and conspiratorial thinking

Attendees will leave with a roadmap for getting started with teaching about misinformation, including how to use the Misinfo 101 Checkology^® course and free classroom resources.

This edWebinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity – reserve your spot today!

(Can’t make it at this time but still interested? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.)

About the speakers

Peter Adams became the News Literacy Project’s Senior Vice President of Research and Design after several years as the organization’s Head of Education. He began his career as a classroom teacher in the New York City schools through Teach For America. He has also taught in the Chicago public schools, at Roosevelt University, and at Chicago City Colleges’ Wilbur Wright campus. In addition, he has worked with the NYC Teaching Fellows program, with After School Matters, and as an independent education consultant.

Since joining NLP in 2009, he has coordinated classroom and after-school programs, served as Chicago program manager, worked on organizational strategy, and developed NLP’s digital program. He has also provided news literacy training and workshops to educators and others throughout the area. He was promoted to his current position in January 2014 and oversees NLP’s education team, which develops resources and training for teachers. He and the other team members are based in Chicago. Peter is a graduate of Indiana University, where he majored in English and African American studies and co-founded an independent monthly student newspaper. He has a master’s degree in the humanities from the University of Chicago.

Brittney Smith is a Senior Manager of Education Partnerships (East) at The News Literacy Project. Brittney joined NLP in July 2022 after eight years of teaching life science in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a high school teacher to diverse populations of students, including English language learners. In her tenure as science department chair, she focused on building partnerships with community stakeholders to enrich and improve students’ educational experiences.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological science from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in teaching science to adolescents and young adults from Mount St. Joseph University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational practice and innovation with a STEM focus at the University of South Carolina.

Register

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project and hosted by edWeb, explores the importance of protecting press freedoms around the world.

Wednesday, May 1, 2024
5:00 PM ET

Join the News Literacy Project and The Wall Street Journal for an important conversation ahead of World Press Freedom Day (May 3).

Press freedoms, the legal and/or constitutional protections that journalists have in order to do their jobs, are fundamental to democracy. Without press freedoms and the standards-based reporting they enable, we risk the further spread of misinformation, disinformation, and declining trust in institutions.

In this edWebinar, we’ll look at a high-profile example of the denial of press freedoms: the case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was wrongfully detained in Russia last year on bogus charges of spying. Wall Street Journal Assistant Editor Paul Beckett, who leads the Journal’s efforts at securing Gershkovich’s release, will discuss the case with New Literacy Project’s Brittney Smith.

Register today (it’s free!)

Topics to be covered include:

How press freedoms impact newsgathering around the world
Strategies for teaching about press freedoms, from a news literacy lens
Best practices for teaching about standards-based journalism
How to use journalistic practices to uncover and expose mis- and disinformation

Attendees will also learn about free News Literacy Project resources, including the Misinfo 101 course and classroom resources and the “Press Freedoms Around the World” lesson, offered on the News Literacy Project’s free  Checkology®️ virtual classroom.

This edWebinar will be of interest to middle and high school teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity – reserve your spot today!

(Can’t make it at this time but still interested? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.)

About the speakers

Paul Beckett is Assistant Editor at The Wall Street Journal, where he focuses on the efforts supporting Evan Gershkovich, the WSJ reporter who has been wrongfully detained by Russia since March 2023. Previously, Paul was the Journal‘s Washington D.C. bureau chief, responsible for news across politics and government, economics, national security, the Supreme Court, financial regulation and the intersection of business and Washington. Before taking the helm of the bureau in 2017, Paul served in multiple overseas postings, including postings in Hong Kong and India.

Brittney Smith is a Senior Manager of Education Partnerships (East) at The News Literacy Project. Brittney joined NLP in July 2022 after eight years of teaching life science in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a high school teacher to diverse populations of students, including English language learners. In her tenure as science department chair, she focused on building partnerships with community stakeholders to enrich and improve students’ educational experiences.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological science from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in teaching science to adolescents and young adults from Mount St. Joseph University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational practice and innovation with a STEM focus at the University of South Carolina.

Register

Click here to read the event description in English.

Los hispanohablantes en los Estados Unidos están en riesgo de exponerse a desinformación durante las elecciones de 2024. De mensajes falsos en WhatsApp a subtítulos incorrectos en vídeos en redes sociales, de anuncios engañosos a rumores falsos sobre las votaciones, las comunidades latinas son un objetivo claro de quienes quieren generar confusión sobre los sistemas de elección.

The News Literacy Project ha reunido a un panel de periodistas y expertos para ayudarnos a comprender por qué y cómo los hispanos están en riesgo.

Regístrate

Aprenderemos sobre temas y sobre los motivos detrás de la desinformación que tiene como objetivo a los hispanohablantes, sobre maneras de evitar la desinformación durante las elecciones en 2024 y cómo encontrar información creíble.

Las panelistas son Tamoa Calzadilla, editora en jefe de Factchequeado, Jesús García, editor de política en La Opinión, Elián Zidán, presentador del Edición Nocturna en Univision, y Cristina Tardáguila, consultora para el Instituto Democracia de las Américas.

Alba Mendiola, una embajadora para News Literacy Project, es la moderadora de la conversación. Alba fue periodista por 18 años y ahora es una maestra de periodismo en Chicago.

La conversación será en español con traducción directa al inglés.

Regístrate

Sobre las panelistas

Tamoa Calzadilla es la editora en jefe de Factchequeado y es una becaria de Reynolds Journalism Institute. Dirigió el Detector, la plataforma de verificación de hechos de Univision Noticias (la primera creada en español en EEUU). Anteriormente informó sobre la corrupción en la política venezolana y formó parte del equipo investigador de los Panamá Papers.

Jesús García es editor de politíca en La Opinión. Escribe sobre política, inmigración y asuntos nacionales. Varios de sus artículos han sido premiados por la Asociación Nacional de Publicaciones Hispanas. Es autor del libro “El Chapo”: Más allá de la duda razonable. Fue editor y colaborador de los periódicos Reforma y El Financiero-Bloomberg.

Elián Zidán es un periodista mexicano y copresentador de la Edición Nocturna del noticero Univision. Anteriormente fue reportero y copresentador de Al Despertar y Edición Digital NY y colaborador del programa Aquí y Ahora.

Cristina Tardáguila es fundadora de Agência Lupa (la mayor iniciativa de verificación de datos en Brasil) y consultora de investigación del Instituto Democracia Digital de las Americas. Periodista de profesión, Cristina ha trabajado como reportera y editora y fue la directora adjunta de International Fact-Checking Network y directora senior de programas de International Center for Journalists.

Sobre la moderadora

Alba Mendiola es educadora y periodista y enseña español y periodismo en Cristo Rey Jesuit High School en Chicago. Era periodista por 18 años en Telemundo Chicago y Televisión Azteca en Veracruz, México. Su trabajo de investigación ganó el premio regional Emmy en Chicago siete veces.

Regístrate

Be informed in 2024

Thursday, Feb. 22 | 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
Free
Virtual panel discussion
In Spanish with live translation to English

Register

Spanish-speaking Americans are at high risk for mis- and disinformation during the 2024 elections. From erroneous WhatsApp messages to incorrectly subtitled social media videos, false rumors and attack ads, Hispanics and Latinos are targeted by bad actors who seek to disrupt voting and sow mistrust and confusion around election systems.

The News Literacy Project is hosting a panel of journalists and experts to help us understand why and how Spanish speakers are at greater risk. We will learn about common trends and tropes in disinformation that target Hispanics, discuss ways everyone can avoid being misled during the 2024 elections, and explain how to find credible, trustworthy information.

Register

Panelists include Tamoa Calzadilla, editor in chief of Factchequeado; Jesús García, managing editor of politics at La Opinión; Elián Zidán, Univision journalist and anchor of Edición Nocturna; and Cristina Tardáguila, research consultant for the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas. NLP ambassador Alba Mendiola will moderate the discussion. Mendiola is a veteran journalist and journalism teacher in Chicago.

This conversation will be held in Spanish with live translation to English, including spoken interpretation and subtitles.

Register

About the panelists

Tamoa Calzadilla is the editor in chief of Factchequeado, a Spanish-language initiative founded to counter mis- and disinformation in the Hispanic and Latino communities in the United States. She is a Reynolds Journalism Institute fellow and former director of El Detector, Univision’s fact-checking platform. She previously reported on corruption in Venezuelan politics and was part of the team that investigated the Panama Papers in 2016.

Jesús García writes about politics and immigration for La Opinión. He is also the author of the book El Chapo: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. He previously wrote about politics for El Financiero, an economics news outlet based in Mexico City, and was politics editor for Mexican news outlet Grupo Reforma.

Elián Zidán is a veteran journalist and anchor of Univision’s nighttime national newscast Edición Nocturna. He previously was a reporter and co-anchor for Univision’s Al Despertar and Edición Digital NY and is a contributor to the Sunday show Aquí y Ahora.

Cristina Tardáguila is a research consultant for the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas, where she is leading WhatsApp monitoring research. She is a former program director at the International Center for Journalists and founded Agência Lupa, the largest fact-checking initiative in Brazil. She also was associate director of the International Fact-Checking Network and was a journalist in Brazil.

About the moderator

Alba Mendiola, a dedicated educator and experienced journalist, teaches Spanish-language arts and broadcast journalism to Spanish heritage speaker students at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago. Before transitioning to the classroom, Alba had an 18-year successful career as a Spanish-language television reporter at Telemundo Chicago and Televisión Azteca in Veracruz, Mexico. Her investigative work earned her the prestigious Chicago Regional Emmy Award seven times, showcasing her dedication and talent in journalism.

Register

Join the News Literacy Project for a free webinar to learn how to identify and avoid misinformation online and in your social networks.

Is it misinformation?

What is misinformation? How can we spot it and avoid it?

In this webinar, we’ll explore current trends in misinformation so you identify and avoid it when you see it. We will learn how to identify types of misleading, inaccurate and false information and how to recognize common propagators of falsehoods.

Reserve your spot today

Learn to identify credible election information in this free webinar Feb. 29, presented by the nonpartisan News Literacy Project.

Are you informed or influenced?

As we navigate the 2024 election, are we being informed or influenced?

This webinar will teach skills for identifying credible election information. We will learn how to evaluate the purpose of the information sources share, how to identify election misinformation trends and bias and how to prioritize finding credible sources.

Reserve your spot today

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project and hosted by edWeb, explores strategies for teaching students news literacy — particularly through examples of science and health misinformation.

Tuesday, Feb. 13
5-6 p.m. ET/2-3 p.m. PT

Science and health misinformation is contagious – don’t let it go viral among your students!

As we continue to heal from a global pandemic, falsehoods presented as fact remain an issue in digital spaces such as social media. It is hard for young people to know what to believe, and misinformation confuses us all about the best steps to take for our own and our community’s health. Further, long histories of unfair and biased reporting and inhumane research practices have left certain communities often targeted by misinformation (with a distrust of news organizations and scientists, as well). Join us to learn about some of these past examples of misinformation’s impact on targeted communities. Then, explore steps you can take to help students avoid misleading claims and build confidence in making health decisions rooted in fact.

Register today (it’s free!)

In this edWebinar, Brittney Smith of the News Literacy Project will host a panel conversation with special guests. They will discuss how to recognize when communities are being treated unfairly and share free resources for teaching your students tips to avoid falling for science and health misinformation. Relevant interdisciplinary lessons from the Checkology®️ virtual classroom — including “Be Health Informed” and “Harm & Distrust” — will be introduced, along with ideas for incorporating the lessons into your curriculum during Black History Month and beyond.

This edWebinar will be of interest to K-12 teachers as well as school and district leaders. There will be time for questions at the end of the presentation.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity – reserve your spot today!

(Can’t make it at this time but still interested? Register anyway, and we’ll email you the recording.)

Educators! Give your students the opportunity to write about some of the most important topics of our time and explore how they can help combat misinformation and work to protect the freedom of the press.

Contest Deadline: April 26, 2024, 11:59 p.m. CT

Educators! Give your students the opportunity to write about some of the most important topics of our time and explore how they can help combat misinformation and work to protect the freedom of the press.

TIMELINE:

Now through Jan. 31: Educator RSVP is open! It is also the suggested time frame to teach using lessons from Checkology® virtual classroom and other free NLP resources.
Feb. 1 – April 26: Suggested time frame to workshop essays for submission.
April 26: Essay deadline.
May 1: PitchIt! Texas essay winners announced as well as time frame for students to create presentations to “pitch” during Grand Prize event.
May TBD: PitchIt! Texas Grand prize event (week of May 13).

ABOUT

Student voice is a catalyst for positive change in schools and communities. For this reason, the Texas Association of Journalism Educators, in partnership with the News Literacy Project, is hosting a writing contest to empower students in Texas to be civically informed and engaged.

TEACHING GOALS

Teachers have an authentic and engaging writing assignment that amplifies student voices and explores issues aligned to district curricula, standards and required topics, such as the First Amendment.
Students analyze different types of misinformation and show the ability to think critically about what is and is not verifiable information.
Students apply their news and media literacy skills to solve the misinformation problem.
Students develop their 21st century civics and media literacy skills (see our Google Drive documents, academic contexts and connections).

AWARDS for each grade band (6-8 and 9-12)

GRAND PRIZE – PITCH:

$100 gift card scholarship for student winner, gift card for teacher and a school banner celebrating both.

FIRST PLACE – ESSAY

$75 gift card (teacher and student)

SECOND PLACE – ESSAY

$50 gift card (teacher and student)

THIRD PLACE – ESSAY

$25 gift card (teacher and student)

Note: First-, second- and third-place essay winners will prepare a presentation to “pitch” in the virtual PitchIt! Grand Prize event on Zoom (date TBA) and receive feedback from working journalists. The Grand Prize winners will be chosen at this time.

OVERVIEW

Texas middle and high school teachers may choose to assign the competition curriculum for individual classes or hold a schoolwide event. Each participating school may submit up to five entries per grade (6-12).

Educators are provided with free resources, as well as planning and organizational support for instructional purposes in the PitchIt! Student Essay Contest folder on NLP’s Google Drive. Join the NewsLitNation Facebook Group, for additional tips on how to best blend key news literacy concepts into your existing curriculum.

For this project, students will write a 500- to 1,000-word essay in response to one of the news literacy writing prompts, using a news article as inspiration. Submitted essays will be judged by NLP ambassadors.

The selected first- through third-place essay contest prize winners (three from middle school and three from high school) then compete at the virtual PitchIt! Grand Prize event, where they receive real-time feedback from journalists on their “pitch,” a presentation about their essay topic. The grand prize winners will be chosen at this time.

LEARNING TASK AND CHOOSING THE ESSAY TOPIC

News literacy is the ability to determine the credibility of news and other content to identify different types of information and to use the standards of fact-based journalism to determine what to trust, share and act on. Being news literate also means recognizing the critical role of the First Amendment and a free press in a democracy and interacting with news and information in ways that promote engaged participation in civic life.

OBJECTIVE

Students will be able to develop critical thinking and news literacy skills to find reliable information to make decisions, take action and responsibly share news through social media.

TASK

Students compose an essay in response to one of the news literacy writing prompts below, discussing how it relates to a local, national or international news article of their choice. They should form a thesis based on their chosen prompt and aim to convince their audience that the thesis is accurate and valid.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Students will be evaluated using the PitchIt! rubric found among the PitchIt! Student Essay Contest documents in Google Drive. Teachers should provide students with a written copy of the rubric and relevant supporting materials.

PROCESS

STEP 1.

Teacher introduces the writing assignment to their class, the rubric* and the process by which the top essays will advance. News literacy topics are explored with students as they relate to the curriculum. Teachers are encouraged to explore the free educator resources on NewsLitNation® and the Checkology® virtual classroom on topics like the First Amendment.

STEP 2.

Students work with their teacher to select a news article/topic of their choice and to select one of the prompts below to follow in writing the essay. Encourage students to use the student planning document* as an outline before handing in a final draft.

STEP 3.

Teachers select up to five student essay finalists per grade, per school, and submit with cover letter to Sara Gonzales, Texas NewsLitNation ambassador: [email protected]

STEP 4.

NLP’s educator panel selects six essays (three from middle school and three from high school) to advance to the Grand Prize phase of the contest (the “pitch”!).

STEP 5.

Panel notifies the teacher at the beginning of May. The selected students then begin creating a visual presentation of their essay (PowerPoint or Google Slides, no more than three minutes in length), to compete in the final phase of the contest.

STEP 6.

First-, second- and third-place essay winners make their presentation (“pitch”) to a panel of journalists during the PitchIt! Texas Grand Prize event on Zoom and receive personalized feedback. Panelists choose the Grand Prize winners for middle school and high school competitors, who will be awarded during the event.

*Click here for the Google Drive folder with PitchIt! educator resources.

PROMPTS

Students should pick one of the following prompts:

Prompt #1: Explain how the First Amendment protects freedom of the press. Use a recent local, national or international news story to illustrate the importance of freedom of the press and how other freedoms are required to protect it.
Prompt #2: What steps should someone take to fact-check statements by a public figure? Consider a recent event in the news to analyze the ways in which the press can hold public figures accountable for what they say and share publicly.
Prompt #3: People have civic responsibilities, things they should do but are not required by law. Explain which news literacy skills are essential to responsible civic participation by example of a recent event in the news.
Prompt #4: Social media platforms are under increased public pressure to fact-check online content generated and shared by users. Which news literacy standards should social media platforms adopt to evaluate fact from fiction? Support your answer with real-world examples in the news media.
Prompt #5: What is the role of the media in our society, and how can we become responsible consumers and producers of news and information in the digital age? Support your answer with real-world examples in the news.
Prompt #6: How does confirmation bias, stereotyping and other cognitive biases impact how we interpret events, news and information? What are potential consequences of not verifying the accuracy of such information? Analyze a current news event with these multiple issues in mind for your essay.

ESSAY CRITERIA

Submission must be original, unpublished work of one student.
Essays are between 500-1,000 words, clearly addressing one of the prompts.
Essay is typed in 12-point, Times New Roman, double-spaced with 1” margins and numbered pages.
All essays and presentations must have a title.
Students must include at least three credible sources to support their thesis.
Essays must use MLA formatting, complete with in-text citations and a Works Cited page (not included in the word count). See Purdue Owl MLA Guide.
Organization: Students must include an introduction with a thesis statement, multiple body paragraphs and a conclusion. See Purdue Owl Argumentative Essays.
Essays must be proofread and should follow the rules for standard English (grammar, punctuation, mechanics) in writing. See Purdue Owl Grammar.
Plagiarism: Any submission that is in part or wholly plagiarized will be disqualified from the PitchIt! competition. See Purdue Owl Plagiarism.
A cover page MUST be included with the following information: Title of essay, student name, grade level, student’s complete mailing address, student’s email address, school’s name, principal’s name, teacher’s name, and best phone number and email address for the teacher.
Only five essays from each grade may be submitted per school.
Finalists must be able to virtually participate in the PitchIt! Grand Prize event mid-May (TBD).

SUBMISSION

Schools/teachers should submit their top five winning essays per grade with cover letter via email to: Sara Gonzales, news literacy ambassador, [email protected]

While not required, we encourage schools to conduct their own internal essay contest to establish the top essays for submission. Entries must be received by April 15.

FAQs:

Is there a submission fee? No fees! Better yet, there is no catch. All our educator resources are free, including Checkology!

What does “teacher support” mean? Successful writers are made through direct instruction. Teachers are encouraged to support students in both content and the writing process. The teacher’s name and contact information must also be indicated in the cover letter as the primary point of contact regarding the entry.

How are the essays judged? Essays will be reviewed by news literacy ambassadors using the PitchIt! rubric. Successful essays are about a local, national or international story that would have benefited from news literacy skills being applied to stop the spread of misinformation. For example, consider the impact a story had, and whether false claims about it could be debunked using reputable and verifiable sources of information.

Do you have essay tips for the students? Essays must have a recognizable beginning (opening or introduction), multiple body paragraphs and a conclusion. See Purdue Owl Argumentative Essays. Hook the reader with a strong opener. Readers will use the first few sentences to decide whether they will read the whole essay. Keep your paragraphs short. Popular essays tend to average three sentences per paragraph. Submit thoroughly thought-out, tightly focused essays. Originality is also important. In the conclusion, include a call to action. Encourage readers to take some positive steps. For instance, if you’ve given them a list of tips, prompt them to put some of the tips into practice.

How is the “pitch” judged? The first-, second- and third-place essay winners advance to the Grand Prize Event phase of the contest. To prepare, they must create a visual presentation based on their essay theme (PowerPoint or Google Slides). During the event they will each have three minutes to “pitch” their essay idea to a panel of journalists and will receive real-time feedback from the panel. Student presentations will be judged for creativity, delivery, impact and accuracy during the event (mid-March).

What document formats are accepted? Please submit the essay as a Google Doc, PDF or a Word document. The “pitch” presentation should be Google Slides or PowerPoint.

How are the finalists announced? Email notifications will be sent to teachers mid-May

Who can participate? The PitchIt! contest is open to all middle and high school students in Texas. If you live in Colorado, Florida, New York or Pennsylvania, please visit the main PitchIt! page for details.

I have more questions! Questions about NLP resources can be directed to Terry Berna, educator success manager, [email protected], or you can submit a request via the NLP Education Help Center or the NewsLitNation Facebook Group. Questions about rules can be directed to Miriam Romais, director of NewsLitNation, at [email protected], and questions about entries can be directed to our Texas ambassador Sara Gonzales, [email protected]

“Our nation will vote in the next presidential election and a culminating issue will be media literacy. By using PitchIt!, as educators, we can exhibit for our students how to break down the news in a way that allows them to become news literate, and see the democratic process come to life through meaningful writing, conversation, research and presentation.” ––Sara Gonzales, journalism teacher and advisor, Patricia E. Paetow High School in Katy, Texas

7 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.

Extra, extra: How to solve the local news crisis

A live, in-person panel discussion featuring:

Sarabeth Berman, CEO of the American Journalism Project
Margaret Sullivan, author of Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy
Steven Waldman, founder and president of Rebuild Local News
Kimi Yoshino, editor of The Baltimore Banner
Moderated by Tracie Potts, executive director of the Eisenhower Institute

Program begins promptly at 7. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

Join us as we kick off National News Literacy Week 2024! Seats are limited, so register today!

Watch the replay

According to a 2022 Gallup/Knight Foundation survey, 67% of Americans say they regularly get local news from established sources such as broadcast TV, radio, newspapers or magazines. But since 2005, more than 2,500 newspapers in the U.S. – a quarter of them – have shut down. Research shows that when a local paper closes, communities experience lower voter turnout, decreased civic engagement, less accountability and increased polarization. With quality sources of local news in decline, our democracy is at risk.

That’s why our theme for National News Literacy Week 2024 is spotlight on local news. We must find solutions to the local news crisis so communities are well-informed and civically engaged. To explore these issues and kick off National News Literacy Week, we are hosting a distinguished panel of journalists, innovators, media critics and educators. They will discuss pressing issues facing local news coverage, how additional funding can help, and other possible solutions.