National Community and News Literacy Roundtables Project

The American Society of News Editors has launched the National Community and News Literacy Roundtables Project, a national project that will work in communities around the country to identify a challenging local topic and help a diverse array of community leaders, activists, students and citizens determine how to constructively engage, learn more about the topic, separate fact from fiction and work toward a common understanding of the issue. The project will work with a local media, education and community partner to plan and sponsor the events and follow up to help a community talk through a challenging issue, such as education, immigration, economic development, law enforcement, etc. The roundtable will seek to explore how that topic is reported and debated in the community, with the goal of expanding critical-thinking skills in the consumption of news and information and fostering civil discourse. The roundtables themselves will serve as a springboard for journalists and educators to connect with schools, universities, libraries and civic groups, either in-person or through social media, to provide news literacy training and further the dialog around the issue upon which the community has chosen to focus.

The project is spearheaded by ASNE in partnership with the American Press Institute and the News Literacy Project and funded in part by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

For more information about hosting a roundtable, contact Project Director Clair Lorell at clorell@asne.org or 571-366-1152.