Five guest speakers will share media literacy expertise at the University of Arkansas next week as part of a series hosted by the Center for Media Ethics and Literacy. The series is in celebration of U.S. Media Literacy Week.
“We have an incredible lineup of guests with varied backgrounds and unique experiences to share with our students,” said Gina Holland Shelton, director of the Center for Media Ethics and Literacy and organizer of the guests.
“Media literacy was added to the mission of the center in 2024, and we’ve been working hard to ensure that our students have access to quality media literacy education through this series and many other events.”
More information on each event can be found below. All talks will be hosted in Kimpel Hall 203.
The talks with Dr. Bobbie Foster and Rachell Sanchez-Smith will also be accessible via Zoom as part of a collaboration with the University of Arkansas Global Campus. Please email Katherine Taylor at kgt001@uark.edu for access to the Zoom links.
Ann Carrns has a weekly column in The New York Times called “Your Money Adviser,” in which she covers personal finance topics, including higher education. She is an adjunct professor at the School of Journalism and Strategic Media, working with master’s students.
Dr. Bobbie Foster is a professor at the School of Journalism and Strategic Media. Her research includes a national study of impactful media literacy practices. She is a co-author of a new book, Equitable Media Literacies, which will be published in December.
Rachell Sanchez-Smith is a newsroom fellow at WBUR, Boston’s NPR affiliate. She pitches, writes, produces and edits stories for various programs, including “All Things Considered.” Sanchez-Smith is a 2024 graduate of the School of Journalism and Strategic Media.
Lara Farrar is an award-winning investigative journalist with over 20 years of experience in national and international reporting, including nearly a decade based in China. In 2023, she received a fellowship from the USC Center for Health Journalism to fund a series on child psychiatric facilities in Arkansas.
Jonathon Modica is a vice president of human resources at Intuit, supporting over 2,000 employees in his role. He holds a journalism bachelor’s and master’s and an EdD from the University of Arkansas. He is being recognized this week with the Young Alumni Award by the Arkansas Alumni Association.
For information about national media literacy programs, go to https://mlw.namle.org/.