Three Things Datebook for the week of 1/24/2022
It's News Literacy Week! Also, the CPB Thought Leader Forum has a great line-up of sessions this year. Finally, predictions aplenty from the research firm Forrester.
THING ONE: This is a Week to Showcase the Vital Role of News Literacy in a Democracy
I’ve written about the News Literacy Project previously in Three Things as a great potential partner for public media.
NLP’s mission is to provide programs and resources for educators and the public to teach, learn and share the abilities needed to be smart, active consumers of news and information and equal and engaged participants in a democracy.
I don’t know of anyone who would argue with the alignment of the journalism and educational purpose of public media with the vision of the NLP that news literacy should be embedded in the American education experience, and people of all ages and backgrounds know how to identify credible news and other information.
We often tout that public media journalism should empower individuals and give them the opportunity and encouragement to participate in the civic life of their communities and the country. And news literacy helps accomplish that vision.
With that in mind, this is News Literacy Week allowing news organizations to signal its value and the importance of the role of credible, fact-based journalism in our polarized nation. The E.W. Scripps Company is a partner with the News Literacy Project on this public awareness campaign that would also serve public media1 well to be involved in this effort.
“The corrosive threat of misinformation now permeates every aspect of our civic life,” said Alan C. Miller, founder and CEO of the News Literacy Project. “We’ve seen it surge in the past year around the global pandemic, racial justice protests and during the presidential election. As the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol demonstrated, this contagion of viral rumors and conspiracy theories can have deadly consequences. It’s time to confront this rising tide that threatens our democracy. Together, we must take personal responsibility for the news and other information we consume and share to assure a future founded on facts.”
Since News Literacy Week starts as we publish this edition of the datebook, it would be great for stations to take advantage of this week to showcase the vital role they play in separating fact from fiction with the journalism they provide to the community.
Stations can also take a longer view of this effort by looking into becoming a media partner with NLP that might include hosting or helping to lead NLP’s NewsLitCamp sessions for educators. If you’re interested in seeing how this works, there is a free one-day online NewsLitCamp this Thursday, January 27, as part of News Literacy Week. You can register for the workshop through this link.
This week, NLP is hosting one other event that might be of interest to public media journalism organizations. There is a virtual edWebinar today, January 24, 2022, from 4:00 - 5:00 pm (Eastern), titled Tips and Techniques for Teaching News and Media Literacy.
In this edWebinar, four NLP’s news literacy ambassadors will discuss tips and techniques for teaching news and media literacy2.
These ambassadors will describe how they engage their students in classroom discussions and activities that develop skills such as identifying credible information, seeking out reliable sources, and thinking critically. Shaelynn Farnsworth, NLP’s director of educator network expansion, will moderate the conversation.
Attendees will also learn about the NLP’s free educator resources for integrating news literacy concepts into the classroom, including the NewsLit Nation forum, educator resources, the Checkology® virtual classroom, and the Sift® newsletter.
CNN’s Brian Stelter did a nice story on media literacy during yesterday’s Reliable Sources broadcast, giving the News Literacy Project a shoutout during the piece.
THING TWO: CPB’s Public Media Thought Leader Forum
Another event starting today is the NETA Conference and CPB’s Public Media Thought Leader Forum.
The CPB event gets underway today (January 24, 2022) at 1:00 pm (Eastern). This virtual gathering has a packed schedule that includes several interesting topics and speakers. You can see the full agenda here, but here are several standout items on today’s agenda:
At 1:40 pm (Eastern), A panel that includes David Isay (Founder and President, StoryCorps), Dr. Peter Coleman (Professor, Columbia University), and Dr. Jennifer Richeson, Professor (Yale University) will discuss Breaking Through Division and Polarization. Stephanie Aaronson, CPB’s SVP of Engagement, will introduce the session.
At 2:45 pm (Eastern), Dave Jorgenson, The Washington Post’s “Tik Tok Guy,” will speak on “Everything Coming Up TikTok?”
At 3:25 pm (Eastern), Stacey Decker, CPB’s SVP of Innovation and System Strategies, will introduce Michael Isip (President and CEO at KQED) and Amy Shaw (President and CEO with Nine PBS) in a conversation about Leading Through Change: Innovation and Diversity.
At 4:05 pm (Eastern), the topic shifts to Reaching New Audiences. Kathy Merritt, SVP of Radio, Journalism & CSG Services at CPB, will introduce two leaders at FRONTLINE - Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath and Director of Audience Development Maria Alana Diokno to discuss this critical issue.
Closing out the Thought Leader Forum will be a conversation about America’s Legacy and Our Future at 4:45 pm (Eastern). Kathryn Washington, CPB’s SVP of Television Content, will introduce Michael Powell, President and CEO, NCTA - The Internet & Television Association and former Chairman, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Patricia Harrison, CPB’s President and CEO for this critical discussion.
The 2022 NETA Conference then gets underway for two half-day sessions on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, and Wednesday, January 26, 2002. The festivities get going on both days at 1:00 pm (Eastern). There is a significant focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the virtual conference, with plenty of other sessions focusing on digital and education. All of these issues are undoubtedly critical to public television’s future.
The conference wouldn’t be a conference without an awards ceremony, and that will take place on Tuesday at 5:15 pm (Eastern) with the 53rd Annual Public Media Awards Gala, presented by Georgia Public Broadcasting. You can see the complete list of finalists here if you’re interested.
If you’re interested in attending at this late date, here’s the website to take care of business. Please note that the CPB Thought Leader Forum is included in the registration for the NETA conference.
THING THREE: One More Webinar Looking at What’s Ahead in 2022
As we near the end of the first month of the new year, I think there’s room on the calendar for one more session with forecasts for the coming year. The global research firm Forrester is in the business of forecasting trends across nearly every business sector on the planet, and they make a huge deal about their annual projections.
On Wednesday, January 26, 2022, at 2:00 pm (Eastern), Forrester is hosting a webinar that will dive into some of the major trends to look for in the year ahead.
A couple of stats shared in a preview of this session are worth thinking about:
First, around 80% of consumers will see the world as all digital, with no divide.
58% of consumers expect companies to have marshaled their digital resources so they’ll be able to respond better if the country plunges into another public health emergency.
The idea of digital transformation efforts have come and gone. In 2021, only 21% of global purchase influencers said their firms nominated digital transformation as a key action to address business model change. That number will drop to less than 15% in 2022. But that doesn’t mean pandemic-sparked technology acceleration will slow. So if you’re still talking about the need to begin digital transformation at your organization, you are way behind the curve.
Ten percent of companies will commit to a fully remote future. For the remaining 90%, vaccine mandates will lead to complications but won’t cause most return-to-office failures. The real pain will be felt at the 60% of companies shifting to a hybrid model: One-third of first attempts at anywhere work simply won’t work.
The number of firms committing to the Climate Pledge will triple. Environmental sustainability has become a highly visible driver of trust levers, particularly empathy, integrity, accountability, and transparency with intensifying expectations and scrutiny.
Here’s one more that caught my eye:
Many companies will welcome a new chief trust officer. Forrester expects that industries that require significant levels of trust3, such as infrastructure technology and financial services, will appoint a new chief trust officer, reporting to the CEO and aligned with other C-suite roles such as the CISO.
By Forrester’s count, at least five firms have already taken this step, and they expect that another 15 firms in the Global 500 will follow suit in 2022. The role will have heft, with responsibilities that initially span board advisory, technology, risk management, and governance but will quickly include more human-centered aspects of trust like brand strategy and corporate values.
This is just a sampling of some fascinating info that will come your way in this free session.
A team of brilliant folks from Forrester will be on hand for the conversation:
Sharyn Leaver, SVP, Research
Judy Weader, Senior Analyst
Anjali Lai, Senior Analyst
Fiona Mark, Principal Analyst
Mike Proulx, VP, Research Director
Jennifer Ross, VP, Research Director
Here’s the link to register.
If you’re interested, Forrester also has a whole series of podcasts that discuss their predictions for 2022. Here’s one on the future of work.
And the Forrester website is packed full of great info if you want to take a deep dive into where they see the future.
One more webinar that might be worth checking out this week comes from the Google News Initiative and the Local Media Association.
This week, GNI’s Innovation Challenge4 program will spotlight some examples of two projects that focus on societal issues, address marginalized populations, and create a model for long-term sustainability.
The session on Thursday, January 27, 2022, at 11:00 am (Eastern) will go inside the projects at Gray Television and LMA’s Word In Black.
The webinar is free to attend and moderated by Sarah Hartley of the GNI Innovation Challenge. You can register at this link.
News organizations interested in participating in the public awareness campaign can contact Kari.Wethington@scripps.com. Print, digital, and broadcast assets are available in support of the five-day campaign or for ongoing placement throughout 2021.
The ambassadors are K.C. Boyd, library media specialist at District of Columbia Public Schools in Washington, D.C.; Dr. Cathy Collins, technology teacher at Sharon Middle School in Sharon, Mass.; Molly Roquet, head librarian at Redwood Day in Oakland, Calif.; and Monica Valdes, social studies and film teacher at Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Miami, Fla. Miriam Romais, NLP’s senior manager, educator engagement, also will join in the discussion.
Media should definitely fit into this category.
The Google News Initiative Innovation Challenge program empowers news organizations worldwide to demonstrate new thinking in online journalism, better understand their communities, and develop new publishing business models.