NEFAC’S JENNIFER PETER AND EMILY SWEENEY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT Justin Silverman | 774.244.2365 | justin@nefac.org
The New England First Amendment Coalition taught a session on media literacy today to a group of educators from Massachusetts high schools.
The session was part of a larger conference at Framingham State University hosted by Primary Source, a non-profit organization that helps provide civics education to students.
NEFAC’s session, titled “Media Literacy: From a Journalist’s Perspective,” focused specifically on how educators can best teach their students skills used by reporters. NEFAC’s Jennifer Peter and Emily Sweeney of The Boston Globe led the session.
“We’re bringing newsrooms into classrooms,” said Justin Silverman, executive director of NEFAC. “It’s crucial for students to learn how to interview, to vet information and to be critical consumers of news. Journalists are in the best position to help teach those skills because they use them every day.”
The Dec. 11 session was part of NEFAC’s civics and media literacy initiative which uses journalists to help citizens understand the role of a free press in society, increase the trust between communities and the newsrooms that cover them, and teach students valuable lessons on civics and media literacy.
Since the launch of its Featured Speaker Program in 2018, NEFAC has presented more than 50 times in more than 30 cities and towns across the region. If you would like to schedule a session on civics or media literacy, please email justin@nefac.org. Presentations can be provided for both educators and students.
NEFAC was formed in 2006 to advance and protect the Five Freedoms of the First Amendment, including the principle of the public’s right to know. We’re a broad-based organization of people who believe in the power of an informed democratic society. Our members include lawyers, journalists, historians, academics and private citizens.
Our coalition is funded through contributions made by those who value the First Amendment and who strive to keep government accountable. Please make a donation here.
Major Supporters of NEFAC include Hearst Connecticut Media Group, the Barr Foundation, The Boston Globe, WBUR and Boston University.