By Reuters Communications On Tuesday, Reuters, the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and MediaSmarts hosted a Media Literacy Week event in Toronto. The event brought together journalists, educators and students to discuss how the media covers politics and elections, the changing news landscape and the importance of understanding the difference between fact and opinion. Through a series of interactive panels and discussions, the group explored skills the next generation of leaders will need to become civically engaged, media savvy and active in the democratic process. The event kicked off with a panel of journalists discussing their perspectives on journalism, political news and why media literacy matters. Moderated by Reuters Toronto Deputy Bureau Chief Denny Thomas, the panel also included Christine Brousseau, National Editor, The Globe & Mail; Andrea Bellemare, Reporter, CBC; and Tyler Nagel, Journalism Instructor, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Following the panel discussion, MediaSmarts presented a workshop titled 'Break the Fake,' led by Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, at MediaSmarts, aimed at helping students understand what's real and what's fake in the stories they read. Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, Executive Director of NAMLE, led an interactive discussion on 'Agency and Engagement: Your Voice Matters," which also featured Neil Andersen, President, Association for Media Literacy. Later this month, Reuters and NAMLE will again partner to host two events for U.S. Media Literacy Week – on October 22 in New York and on October 25 in Eagan, Minnesota. You can follow along with those events on Twitter with #MediaLitWk. Media Contact: heather.carpenter@thomsonreuters.com [Reuters PR Blog Post]
