On Friday, Reuters will bring together journalists, students and educators for a U.S. Media Literacy Week event, hosted in partnership with the National Association of Media Literacy Educators (NAMLE). The interactive virtual event, held on October 29, will explore the importance of fact-checking and misinformation, why finding credible information matters and how individuals can do their part to mitigate the spread of false information and discern fact from fiction.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Reuters Correspondent Wa Lone will join Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni for a fireside chat about his investigative work and imprisonment in Myanmar, challenges to press freedom and the importance of fostering the next generation of journalists. Reuters Social Media Producer Christina Anagnostopoulos will present on fact-checking and fighting misinformation. MediaWise Senior Multimedia Producer Alex Mahadevan will also discuss digital tools to evaluate and verify photos and videos.
Ahead of the Reuters event, Thomson Reuters and NAMLE partnered to launch a media literacy contest for students and classrooms participating in the week's events. At a time when society is increasingly polarized, this year's "Fact or Fiction" challenge asks students to share their thoughts on how media literacy education can help build a more unified society. The winners will be announced at the Reuters virtual event; winning individual entries will receive a mentorship with a Reuters journalist and one classroom will receive a $500 grant.
With the proliferation of misinformation around the world, media literacy skills are essential to understanding what information can be trusted. Reuters and Thomson Reuters are deeply committed to fighting the spread of misinformation, with fact-checking and media literacy education central pillars of that effort. Reuters and Thomson Reuters have partnered with NAMLE for Media Literacy Week since 2017, bringing together expert teams in newsgathering and fact-checking to educate individuals and communities around the world on the importance of building critical skills in media verification.
For more information and to RSVP for the Reuters Media Literacy Week event, click here.
Media contact:
Heather. Carpenter @tr.com
