Thum Participates in Media Literacy Program

During the fall 2020 semester, JCCC student journalists and Gretchen Thum, associate professor and chair of the Journalism Department, will participate in a media literacy program funded by the U.S. State Department.  Steven Youngblood, director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University, received the grant to fund a project titled, “Media Literacy for Students: Lessons from Covid-19.”  According to Park University, the project, which will take place throughout the Kansas City area, will use “virtual seminars and projects to educate and inform students about the information challenges posed by Covid-19.” Projects include a student-produced magazine and podcast.  In addition to participants from JCCC, students will also come from Center Middle School, Center High School, and Park University.  Other instructors in the program include Lewis Diuguid, multicultural educator and journalist with the Kansas City Star, and Allan Leonard, founder of FactCheck NI in Belfast and editor of Shared Future News.