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Newsletters from the Consortium for Media LiteracyJanuary 2012 newsletter from the Consortium for Media Literacy This issue examines the growing popularity of monsters, vampires and zombies. If you visit any secondary school during silent reading periods, you're likely to find many students absorbed in tales of fantasy, horror and the occult. Their choices are rarely taken seriously in the K-12 curriculum, but media in this genre can be used to illuminate the emotional lives of students, mined for mythic, historical and religious subtext, and used to explore the perspectives of characters who are radically Other. In other words, they're ideal texts for media literacy instruction. Advertising, Consumer Debt and Media Literacy October 2011 newsletter from the Consortium for Media Literacy With a focus on consumer debt and advertising, we explore how advertising helped financial institutions convince consumers that incurring debt was not only reasonable, but a wise choice. November 2010 newsletter from the Consortium for Media Literacy Much of the research and public commentary about the effects of media violence treat viewers of violent media as passive recipients who simply register negative effects. As we argue in our review of media violence research, the life lessons which audiences--including children--take away from violent media content are always the result of a complex process of dynamic interaction between audience and media text. June 2010 newsletter from the Consortium for Media Literacy With all of the exciting new ways to communicate today, does anyone still watch TV? The answer is a resounding yes! In this issue, we explore how TV is still a major player in sports and family entertainment, and how media literacy skills are needed to help students navigate media messages regardless of the medium. Other resourcesAmerican Views of Muslims Survey 2018Landmark Study: What Do Americans Really Think About Muslim Americans? Available data indicates that Americans are increasingly leery of Muslim Americans and that they do not view Muslim communities as part of mainstream society. And since 2015 there has been an alarming increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes across the country. In order to better understand these problems, New America, in collaboration with the American Muslim Institution, has commissioned a national survey to explore the general public’s perceptions of Muslim Americans. The survey was conducted and completed in the lead up to the midterm elections in November 2018. Learn more about the study on the American Muslim Institution website. View the study results PowerPoint presentation. Michael Warsaw, head of EWTN, speaking in Rome about religion and fake newsVideo recommended by RCC member Brian Finnerty Finding Faith: How newspapers can find new readers with a return to religion reportingJournalists rightly complain when receiving heavily redacted government documents where thick black lines obscure critical information. The average newspaper reader would fairly have the same reaction with how American newspapers cover religion and issues based on faith. It's as if we borrowed that government censor's black pen for drawing thick lines right through any reporting that dares to invoke God or traditional religious faith. Read more in the October 2016 issue of Editor & Publisher (pp. 24-25). NCCC Podcast: Rev. Bud Heckman on Interfaith and Changing Attitudes
Steve Martin, NCCCUSA (photo by Bud Heckman) Bud Heckman, national vice president of RCC, recorded a podcast with Rev. Steven D. Martin, director of communications and development at The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA in September 2016. With anti-minority messages sweeping the media and the political campaigns, many people are scratching their heads about what to do about it. We live in a time when social media, TV networks, and even our churches offer few chances to meet people who are different from us. So when Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, we are often more fearful than faithful. Bud Heckman is on a mission to get funders to tackle this problem strategically. Bud has a view of the world of philanthropy that will likely be of interest to any who have tried to work on problems like anti-Muslim bigotry or religious freedom. If you care about finding ways to solve some of our biggest problems, you’ll want to listen to this whole podcast. It’s my hope that Bud will help us get this conversation started. The podcast is available on: How can you spread peace in the midst of anti-Muslim rhetoric?Religions for Peace USA's Our Muslim Neighbor Initiative is a national effort to end Islamophobia. For the last three years they have been on the ground in Tennessee building communities of trust across racial and religious lines. Over the years, they have developed strategies and resources to help people reach out and relate to their neighbors, to understand Islam and Muslims better, and to build communities of trust that break down stereotypes eating away at the goodwill that is so necessary for strong communities to thrive. They are making available three online lectures of some of the nation's leading voices on interfaith peacebuilding. Listen to the lectures and share widely! Annual Nonprofit Communications Trends ReportThe annual Nonprofit Communications Trends Report, compiled by the Nonprofit Marketing Guide, reports on what's happening in the world of nonprofit communications and fundraising based on responses to a survey completed by over 1,000 nonprofits. Interfaith CalendarInterfaith Calendar: Primary sacred times for world religions On Common Ground: World Religions in AmericaAUGUST 16, 2013, Cambridge, MA — What does it mean to be religiously literate? Where can one learn about the world's religions, from Afro-Caribbean traditions to Zoroastrianism? How can one explore the religious diversity of cities and towns across the U.S.? And what historical perspectives and contemporary challenges shape our understanding of religious difference in America? Explore On Common Ground: World Religions in America to find out. Dr. C. Welton GaddyKeynote Address "I Believe" series on PBSThe 26-part PBS series, I Believe, where host Dennis Wholey visits houses of worship to learn about different faiths and religions. |
