News Media Literacy for Adults, Teachers and Children Is Topic of LWVIL Presentation on May 22
Media Contacts:
Becky Simon, LWVIL President, communications@lwvil.org
Anne Sullivan and Barb Laimins, LWVIL Mis/Disinformation Task Force Co-Chairs, misdisinfotaskforce@lwvil.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CHICAGO, IL, April 22, 2024 – Michael Spikes, PhD, a practitioner-scholar who has spent more than 15 years in the fields of media literacy education (MLE), news media literacy (NML) and youth media, will speak at a virtual program to be presented by the League of Women Voters of Illinois’ Mis/Disinformation Task Force on Wednesday, May 22, at 6:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. Visit bit.ly/lwvil522 to register.
The presentation, titled “Sense of Media: A Framework and Introduction to Media Literacy,” will feature Dr. Spikes, who is director of the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism's Teach for the Chicago Journalism program. “The need for media literacy skills has never been more urgent as we struggle to distinguish fact from fiction,” he says.
Dr. Spikes is currently involved in developing implementation strategies for incorporating units of MLE into existing K-12 curricula for educators in Illinois in response to Illinois’ being the first state to implement a requirement of a unit of MLE for all high schools. In addition, he is the co-founder of the Illinois Media Literacy Coalition and the Illinois state chapter leader for Media Literacy Now. His work is recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as key resources for media literacy education, and by the Illinois News Broadcasters Association as a 2022 recipient of its “Illinoisan of the Year” award.
Dr. Spikes earned his PhD in the learning sciences from Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy in August 2023. Previously, he held roles as a project manager for the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University, a media studies teacher in both public and public charter schools in Washington DC, and as a member of the educational advisory team at the Newseum. He has also held roles as a media producer and editor for NPR, the PBS NewsHour, and the Kellogg School of Management.
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Founded 104 years ago, the 3,700-member League of Women Voters of Illinois is a nonpartisan organization that works to protect fair elections and increase civic engagement. The League endeavors to influence public policy through education and advocacy. For further information, visit lwvil.org.
To address the troubling rise of misinformation and disinformation—and its impact on our elections—the League of Women Voters of Illinois formed the Mis/Disinformation Task Force in January 2024 with the goal of educating the general public on misinformation and disinformation. For more information, visit lwvil.org/misdis-info.