IMI presents “Media Literacy, Fake News, Politics and Power”
A PANEL DISCUSSION
Join the Idaho Media Initiative for a discussion about fake news, media literacy, politics and power on Jan. 17, 2018.
The Idaho Media Initiative joins the Fettuccini Forum to bring a panel of distinguished journalists and scholars together for a discussion about Media Literacy, Fake News, Politics and Power. The forum will examine how fake news, real journalism and social media played a central role in the 2016 election and continues to be a key issue in figuring out where we go from here as a divided electorate. Panelists will discuss the current media climate and the role media literacy plays in creating a more informed and engaged citizenry.
Idaho Media Initiative co-founder, Seth will moderate the discussion. Time and location TBA. For more information, contact Carissa Wolf at carissawolf@boisestate.edu/
Media Literacy Week Film Screening
The Idaho Media Initiative is sponsoring Media Literacy Week! The objective is to create “healthy skeptics” among those who consume media and guide “passive viewers” into being active, critical engaged citizens.” To kick off MLW, the Idaho Media Initiative and the Department of Communication at Boise State University will screen a free documentary, “The Occupation of the American Mind,” on Nov. 6th at 7pm at the SPEC. Free and open to the public! Panel discussion will follow.
Fighting Fake News in Idaho
Thursday Nov. 9 at 7:30 pm in Student Union Jordan B
Come talk with Matt Christensen, editor of the Times-News in Twin Falls, Idaho, about his experiences with fake news surrounding the Fawnbrook case, where a sex assault became the catalyst for anti-refugee sentiment and a Russian-led disinformation campaign on Facebook. Now a major national news story, this case study demonstrates all that’s wrong with the media environment and what we all need to know to successfully navigate it! We’ll also hear from Boise State scholars, who can help us unpack and understand the landscape before us. Panel discussion to follow.
IMI presents “Wisconsin Rising”
A FILM BY SAM MAYFIELD
Please join The Idaho Media Initiative in celebrating and supporting intelligent journalism, documentary and media production by attending a free screening of “Wisconsin Rising” followed by a Q and A session with director Sam Mayfield on November 9 at 6 pm at the Boise State University Special Events Center.
“Wisconsin Rising” tells the story of the largest sustained workers resistance in American history. In 2011, Wisconsin was the canary in the coal mine for America as newly-elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker stripped collective bargaining rights from the state’s public employees, undoing eight decades of basic workers’ rights. “Wisconsin Rising” catapults the viewer in to the days, weeks, and months when Wisconsinites fought back against power, authority, and injustice.
Why News Matters
A PUBLIC FORUM
Join The Idaho Media Initiative (IMI) as it officially unveils its inaugural slate of awarding-winning journalists and stories at a public forum Saturday, Oct. 17 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Boise State University’s downtown BoDo building, 301 S. Capitol Blvd. Afterwards, the IMI will also host a discussion on the topic of “Why News Matters.”
“This event serves as the official launch of the Idaho Media Initiative and will showcase IMI’s work in media literacy, journalism education and news production,” said IMI co-creator Carissa Wolf. “We’ve spent the last year educating students and the community, promoting news production and advancing the discussion about the importance of news in a free society. We’re excited to showcase what we’ve done and invite journalists and the community to join our efforts.”
Last spring, the IMI funded five reporting projects as part of its larger mission to educate, inform and engage our communities through media production, literacy and civic engagement. The award winners were selected from different media – print, radio and film – and work independently or for established outlets. Each received $2,000 from IMI this year to pursue in-depth, public-affairs stories that impact local communities in Idaho and otherwise would have gone unreported. Projects range from watchdog reporting on the loose oversight of alternative health providers to reporting that dug deep to find the hidden problems surrounding homelessness in the state.
“This project represents the findings of a year-long investigation,” said project award winner and freelance journalist Eric Hayes. His project explored wading through the legal tangle of securing access to financial documents.
The five projects are slated for publication through host media publications and will be made available on IMI’s website for free distribution by media outlets. Organizations are encouraged to redistribute the articles with proper attribution and acknowledgement of IMI funding.
In addition, each of the journalists folded educational opportunities for Boise State students and student reporters into the production and presentation of their IMI-funded projects. Later this fall, they will use their finished journalistic pieces to engage the public through events that take the issues they tackled beyond story publication and into the communities they affect.
Recognizing the vital connections between media and democracy, the IMI promotes civic engagement through public interest journalism, education, research and collaboration. The IMI works in partnership with Boise State University to serve as a community resource for news, media pedagogy and professional training through innovative partnerships, the development of alternative news funding sources, and the production of intelligent and reliable reporting.
Since the IMI gained funding in late 2014, the Initiative has provided media literacy education to high school students and civic groups in the community, co-hosted discussions on the importance of news, boosted media literacy course offerings at Boise State University, provided continuing education opportunities to working journalists and forged partnerships with media organizations to find innovative and collaborative ways advance news production.
The public is invited to learn about how news impacts local communities, democracy and civic engagement. Journalists and media professionals are encouraged to join to learn about IMI project funding and partnership opportunities.