This year, NAMLE celebrated the 11th annual U.S. Media Literacy Week across the country from October 27-31, 2025. This national celebration saw participation in 48 states and 49 countries, with 716 people registering as Supporters, 390 as Educators, 329 as Creators, and 192 committing to hold events during the week. This translates to 9,600 event attendees and approximately 19,500 students who will be impacted by the skills and resources their teachers will have gained throughout the week!
This year also marked the ninth year NAMLE partnered with Thomson Reuters to provide a media literacy workshop for New York City students, one of our favorite MLW events each year. Students joining us from several local high schools learned about the attention economy and its impact on the business of journalism with the presentation and workshops from Arlyn Gajilan, the Global Editor of AI Development and Integration at Reuters, Kathryn Lurie, the Editor-in-Charge of Social Media at Reuters, and NAMLE’s senior advisor (and past executive director!), Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, who was kind enough to join us for this annual tradition!
Other events on our schedule this week included an outstanding panel of children’s media creators at Fordham University, in partnership with the Children’s Media Association and NAMLE, based on Sherri Hope Culver’s 2024 report, “The Quality Question: Why Children’s Media Must Aim High” (you can download it for free!). The panel, moderated by Sherri, included diverse perspectives from creators, including Danny Joe LaBrecque, host of Danny Joe’s Tree House, Chevez Jedai Sanchez, owner of Cleos Studios, Lynn Kestin Sessler, Sr. Creative Director for Nickelodeon Digital, Unscripted Studios, and Paramount Pictures, and Gabe Pulliam, writer and producer of The Creature Cases at Sony Television Pictures Kids. The panel, Sherri, and respondent, David Kleeman, engaged in a robust conversation about what “quality” means in children’s media and how creatives balance the needs of the studios or platforms, children, and their families.
For the third year in a row, Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications hosted a half-day kickoff event, “AI Literacy is Media Literacy,” which was available in person for students and faculty and online for virtual attendees. This year’s event was facilitated by Matt Jordan, the Head of the Department of Film Production and Media Studies at Penn State, and featured three presentations:
“Best Frenemies: How AI Can Help, and Hinder, in Your Life”
Sean Marcus, Poynter Institute/MediaWise
“The Generative Generation: Exploring the Impact of AI on Democracy”
Pam Brunskill, Senior Director of Education Design, News Literacy Project
“Your News Diet & Your Mental Health in an AI-Driven World”
Jenna Meleedy, National Association for Media Literacy Education
Jenna Spinelle, McCourtney Institute for Democracy
A huge shout-out to Jenna Meleedy, a former NAMLE intern, Youth Advisory Council Member, and former communications contractor, for providing a stellar workshop on media literacy, artificial intelligence, and mental health. The media ecosystem continues to grow in its complexity, and many of these hot-button issues are now inextricably linked. You can view the recordings of all sessions for free here!
Finally, we ended our week honoring those individuals and organizations who have exhibited impactful service, practice, or efforts that have greatly impacted the media literacy community and beyond at our 2025 NAMLE Awards Ceremony. This year, we honored nine awardees ranging from classroom educators to content creators. Check out each of the award winners and join me in congratulating each of them for their phenomenal contributions to the field.
ELIZABETH THOMAN SERVICE AWARD
Honoring Tessa Jolls
President and CEO, Center for Media Literacy
ELIZABETH THOMAN SERVICE AWARD
Frank Baker
Founder, Media Literacy Clearinghouse
MEDIA LITERACY COMMUNITY AWARD
Olga Polites
New Jersey Chapter Leader, Media Literacy Now; Alliance Education Advisory Council Member, Alliance for Decision Education
MEDIA LITERACY RESEARCH AWARD
Jon Wargo
Associate Professor of Educational Studies, University of Michigan
MEDIA LITERACY TEACHER AWARD
Sequoyah Wharton
Education Innovator, Media Literacy Advocate, & Champion for Student Voice
MEDIA LITERACY YOUTH AWARD
Jayden Junaid
Founder, The Mirror Effects; Community Action Co-Lead, New Jersey Student Climate Association; Student, Old Bridge High School
MEDIA LITERATE MEDIA AWARD
Ben Bradford
Creator and Host, Engines of Outrage
MEDIA LITERATE MEDIA AWARD
Morgan Sung
Host, Close All Tabs
MEDIA LITERATE MEDIA AWARD
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Looking Ahead: Media Literacy Week 2026
As we close out another inspiring U.S. Media Literacy Week, we’re already looking ahead. Mark your calendars: the 12th annual celebration will take place October 26–30, 2026! Whether you’re a longtime supporter or joining us for the first time, we invite you to be part of this growing national movement. Register your support early, get connected with our community, and help us continue expanding media literacy education throughout the country and around the world. We can’t wait to celebrate with you next year.