With summer coming to an end and the start of a new school year on the horizon, this month we feature a sneak preview from Adam Bessie and Peter Glanting’s book of graphic journalism, Going Remote; and we share our new and updated resources for teachers—and other folks—interested in critical media literacy education.
SNEAK PREVIEW
Going Remote: An Educator’s Journey Through the Digital Exodus
by Adam Bessie and Peter Glanting
Forthcoming from The Censored Press and Seven Stories Press
Going Remote: An Educator’s Journey Through the Digital Exodus takes readers on a unique graphic journey with Adam Bessie, a veteran community college professor and cancer survivor, as he reflects on the perils and promise of critical and liberatory public education in a time of illness.
Illustrated by Peter Glanting, Going Remote is a compelling fusion of memoir, meditation, scholarship and sci-fi that provides an unflinching account of a single public-school educator’s deeply personal story not just of disease and trauma, but of healing and hope—for himself and his students. Exposing the dystopian forces of corporatism and colonialism that plague public education, Going Remote is ultimately a hopeful, even utopian work: the exodus online gives us the opportunity to disrupt long-standing injustices, and design a humanistic public education system, capable of healing, recovery, and genuine care.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Updated Guide to Independent News Sources
One of the Project’s most popular online features, our guide to independent news sources has been updated and reorganized to make it even easier to use. Originally developed as resource for students researching Validated Independent News stories as part of the Project’s Campus Affiliates Program, the guide now lists more than 150 exemplary independent news outlets, organized a dozen topical categories.
Webinar for Teachers: Engage your students in critical media literacy
Jen Levinson, Steve Macek, and Andy Lee Roth presented a workshop on critical media literacy at the National Association for Media Literacy Education’s 2021 conference. This presentation introduces the Project’s Validated Independent News exercise, explain how it enhances students’ critical thinking and media literacy skills, and addresses some of the most common challenges students face when conducting their research.
Validated Independent News
College and university instructors: Updated guidelines for the Validated Independent News exercise are now posted. Find our guides for students (which can be used as an assignment prompt) and for teachers here. Submissions are due no later than April, 8, 2022 to be considered for our next annual publication.
The Project Censored Show
Don’t forget! Our weekly, syndicated public affairs program, The Project Censored Show, airs on some 50 stations across the US and is archived dating back to 2010. These make for great resources both in the classroom and for the general public. Recent episodes featured Kevin Gosztola, managing editor of Shadowproof.com, who reminded us about the importance of whistleblowers and why they need to be protected not prosecuted; Susan Zakin, editor of the online news and literary publication Journal of the Plague Years, and author Steve Erickson, discussed his latest work, American Stutter, that chronicles the tumultuous ride through the pandemic, a contentious election year, the January 6th events at the Capitol in Washington, and much more in between; Kalle Lasn shared tales about the recent censorship of his magazine, Adbusters, across Canada and why we need to challenge corporate control of our media and information systems; and Chase Palmieri returned to the program with updates on Credder.com, which aims to build trust in news sources with a focus on news media literacy.
What Are We Reading Online
Not So Ivory Tower: Many college professors across the US are in low paying positions with no job security or hope of tenure. Despite how the media often depict professors, many struggle to make ends meet according to a recent study published by the American Association of University Professors.
F**K Yeah! In a recent historic, yet nuanced, free speech case involving a high school cheerleader, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of student rights of free expression, though concedes there are legal limitations. A recent article in The Nation explains the significance of the case and what it means for student free expression on and off campus.
Media Democracy in Action: The Society of Professional Journalists and 24 other journalism groups recently sent a letter to the White House to request a discussion about protecting journalists from government interference. Project Censored was a signatory to the letter.