We’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not schools are paying enough attention to teaching about media—what’s online, its purpose, and the impact. Part of this is driven by emerging technology and some of it is built on the back of the many discussions about phones in schools and whether they should be allowed.
Media can entertain, inform, and connect us more than we ever could before, but it can also addict, manipulate, and divide. We’re concerned about this. We think one of the most important superpowers for young people to gain, and for the adults that teach them, will be determining fact from fiction and advice from influence, especially given the massive decentralization of media.
Anyone can provide information. We no longer have mainstream media as sole news sources. So, we thought it would be important to dive into this topic at the national policy level.
I recently had the chance to sit down with Erin McNeill CEO and founder of Media Literacy Now, which is a grassroots movement to create a public education system that ensures all students learn the 21st-century literacy skills they need for health, economic participation, and citizenship. I wanted to ask some questions about the pressing need for more media literacy awareness and education in our schools. As digital content becomes more common, students need the skills to tell fact from fiction. McNeill believes integrating media literacy into school curricula helps students understand and navigate the digital world. Her efforts focus on changing policies both locally and nationally to make media literacy a standard part of education. This shift is not just about understanding media but also about improving civic engagement and preparing students for the digital age.
Here are a couple of things that I’m still thinking about after the conversation with Erin:
Media literacy is literacy. Media literacy encompasses everything in the 21st century. In fact, lots of people are talking about AI Literacy and Erin highlights that we don’t really need AI literacy as a separate focus, we just need media literacy writ large, and that will cover all the different buckets.
Anyone can make a difference. I appreciate the message that Erin was able to make change happen by saying, “I have a challenge that I want to solve and I can go talk to my local politician.” From there, it turned into legislation, a law, and now a nonprofit that influences national media policy. I think that’s a good message for those of us who are in the industry and sometimes say, “What do I do?” There is work to be done, and it can be done.
Simple but effective core questions. Media has always been created to influence us in some way. So, who’s the author? What’s the purpose? How are they keeping your attention? What are the different interpretations? These questions will not change with the advent of AI and the continued growth of social media.
Outline
- (01:31) Erin’s Personal Experience with Media
- (03:13) Founding Media Literacy Now
- (15:50) Integration into School Curriculum
Erin’s Personal Experience with Media
Nate McClennen: Let’s start with how you’ve experienced media, perhaps with your own kids. I know from your website there’s a bit of your founding story. What were you reacting to in the early days of this organization?
Erin McNeill: When my kids were small, any parent knows they’re just little sponges, absorbing everything from their environment, including all the messages, whether from you as a parent or outside influences. I noticed when my son was very small, he watched a cartoon called Woody Woodpecker. It was hyperactive, and after watching it, he’d start running around the house. I asked him if he noticed how he felt after watching that cartoon. He said he did. Kids recognize this from a young age. It was a direct relationship.
Nate McClennen: It’s interesting. My kids might be younger than yours, but mine are in college now. They grew up with TV, but not media as we know it today. When I go out, I see young people glued to their screens, even with opportunities to engage with the world around them. What you described with your own children, I’ve experienced with my own. It’s exponentially harder now due to the massive amount.
Founding Media Literacy Now
Nate McClennen: How does that tie into the founding story of Media Literacy Now, and how did you pivot to education?
Erin McNeill: I was a journalist and noticed people didn’t see the importance of credible news as a watchdog of big institutions. After having kids, I saw they were exposed to many messages I didn’t want them to absorb. They learned a lot from video games, though, and we’d have family discussions. Learning more about media literacy through my blog and journalism, I recognized that media literacy education could have a lot of impact. Working with some teachers, I saw the need to help teachers overcome barriers since they’re told what to teach by the administration, influenced by the state. That’s why I focused on policy.
Nate McClennen: Your first foray was in Massachusetts. What did that look like? Did you talk to your local politician?
Erin McNeill: I brought together a group of like-minded people and spoke to a local legislator. Many state representatives look for solutions to social media issues. They want their constituents to bring solutions they can promote. I went to a state senator who introduced a bill. We started organizing around it. Many legislators hadn’t heard of media literacy before, so there was a lot of engagement. For me, that was a huge win because we got media literacy onto the public policy agenda in 2011.
Nate McClennen: This was the early days of social media. Fast forward to now, you’re still in Massachusetts. Are you tracking how it’s moved down into schools? Policy is one thing, but implementation is another.
Erin McNeill: Absolutely. Implementation is the next step. We continue to need advocates for that. In Massachusetts, we’ve made a lot of progress. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education hired us to do a landscape scan and make policy recommendations. In 2018, we helped change the civic standards to include media literacy education in 8th to 12th-grade social studies classes. We see it getting into classrooms. A vote-tech school in Franklin, for example, had a teacher and librarian work together. They noticed students struggled with identifying messages, authors, and intents of media items. There was a huge growth, with 75% of students increasing their scores.
Nate McClennen: It seems obvious that students want to be more savvy media consumers, but they don’t know how. It’s a disservice if they’re not taught this.
Erin McNeill: They say, “Why weren’t we taught this earlier?” We’ve missed the boat.
Nate McClennen: From where you started to now, we’ve had so many shifts—social media, AI, the generation of content can be amplified a thousand times. Has that influenced your thinking? Are you seeing things accelerate, or are the goals the same?
Erin McNeill: Skills are still the same. If we started 10, 15 years ago in kindergarten, teaching media literacy across the board, we’d have the foundational skills. Recognizing credible sources, authors, and manipulation are key. AI highlights the need for media literacy education. You can’t just ban social media or phones in schools. Kids need those skills.
Nate McClennen: You can ban phones in schools all you want, but if you’re not teaching them how to use their phones, it’s a disservice. Media literacy is a superpower because media is having a profound effect on our life. You started as a journalist. Is mainstream media less important now, with YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter becoming more significant? Does media literacy need to address this?
Erin McNeill: Of course. Mainstream media on social media is still the same news. I get my news from social media because I’m looking for specific topics. It’s about recognizing credible sources, whether a large news organization or a freelancer. Social media is just a distribution system.
Nate McClennen: The distribution system has changed, and it goes back to having media literacy questions of who is the author, what’s the purpose, and how are they keeping your attention. The credibility of on-the-ground reporting can reveal important things, and that reinforces that we don’t have to change things but reassert media literacy from a young age. Let’s talk about policy. Less than half of state departments require media literacy in schools. How can we accelerate this work? Is it top-down or bottom-up?
Erin McNeill: It has to be both. Parents, students, and teachers ask for change and start implementing it. From the top, we’re trying to get policy change. You can’t get policy change unless people are advocating for it. It’s multi-level. It’s not just state legislature or education departments but also subject areas in schools. We’re seeking changes to standards and frameworks and finding curriculum that works in those areas.
Integration into School Curriculum
Nate McClennen: Is it better to be interdisciplinary or embedded in existing disciplines?
Erin McNeill: There are different views, but integrating into existing curriculum is the best bet. It doesn’t require as much system change. Integration is probably our best bet.
Nate McClennen: How about parents and adults? It feels like we all need education in media literacy.
Erin McNeill: Adults need it, but we can’t do it all. K-12 is where you can reach people effectively. Hopefully, students learning these skills bring them home.
Nate McClennen: What have you learned on your journey, and where are you headed next?
Erin McNeill: The value of media literacy is vast. It’s about democracy, how we live, and literacy. We’re focusing on district-level school boards. Everyone cares about their kids and sees issues. They want solutions and want their kids prepared for the 21st century.
Nate McClennen: Erin, this has been great. Where can people learn more?
Erin McNeill: On our website, we have resources for teachers in science, health, and digital wellness. Teachers can find vetted materials ready for classroom use to demonstrate media literacy’s benefits and build support in the community.
Nate McClennen: Thank you. We’ll include those in the show notes. Here are some takeaways: Media literacy is literacy. You made change happen by addressing a challenge. The core questions of media literacy haven’t changed. We don’t need AI literacy—media literacy covers it all. Erin, thank you for being on the podcast today and for all your work helping young people.
Erin McNeill
Erin McNeill is the CEO and Founder of Media Literacy Now. She established this nonprofit in 2013 to address the messages her children were receiving through cartoons and advertisements. Erin and Media Literacy Now are leading the grassroots movement to ensure all students learn the 21st-century media literacy skills they need for health, well-being, economic participation and citizenship.
Links
- Media Literacy Now
- Erin McNeill LinkedIn
- Media Literacy Policy Report 2023
- Media Literacy Now Resource Library
The post Erin McNeill on Why We Need Media Literacy Now appeared first on Getting Smart.
Erin McNeill emphasizes the urgent need for media literacy in education to help students navigate the digital landscape effectively.
The post Erin McNeill on Why We Need Media Literacy Now appeared first on Getting Smart. Ed Policy, Digital Education, EdPolicy Getting Smart
