When did your organization launch and why?
2024, to work toward equipping “individuals with the essential skills and knowledge required to adeptly navigate and critically assess narratives in the dynamic media landscape of the 21st century.”
What does your organization do? What are its main goals? Main projects?
Through innovative research endeavors, collaborative educational initiatives, and active engagement with the community, we are helping build a future where media literacy becomes a cornerstone for informed and empowered citizenship.
What makes your organization stand out? What would you say is the most unique thing about your organization?
Our three-pronged approach to research, curriculum and community partnerships allows us to take a macro- and micro-view of the challenges facing today’s media consumers and creators.
What are recent projects or new resources that your organization would like to share with other NAMLE members?
The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is one of the most extensive and complete archives of television news anywhere in the world. TVNA have been recording, preserving, and providing access to television news broadcasts of the U.S. national networks since August 5, 1968. The core collection includes daily evening news programs from ABC, CBS, and NBC along with CNN (since 1995) and Fox News (since 2004).
What are the connections between the work of your organization and media literacy?
The McGee Center’s research and programming is directly related to media literacy in that all our work seeks to answer questions about how people access, analyze, evaluate, create and act on media.
Why is media literacy important to your organization?
We firmly believe that you can’t be literate in today’s world without being media literacy. It’s not even a separate activity at this point — it’s just part of being literate. Without systematic efforts to make media literacy part of people’s every day lives — and especially part of our education system, we will not be able to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
Anything else you want our readers to know about your organization, your mission, or your staff?Kristy Roschke, Executive Director of the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies, is a proud NAMLE Board Member.
The views and opinions expressed in the Organizational Spotlight blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NAMLE or its members. The purpose of the Organizational Spotlight blog is to highlight our Organizational Partners and give them a place to share their reflections, opinions, and ideas.