Newhouse School to hold Media Literacy Day for local sixth-graders April 3

Newhouse School to hold Media Literacy Day for local sixth-graders April 3March 30, 2009Wendy S. Loughlinwsloughl@syr.edu

On Friday, April 3, 89 sixth-graders from Edward Smith Elementary School in Syracuse will visit the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications to participate in the annual Media Literacy Day. Sponsored by Newhouse’s Diversity Committee and coordinated by Newhouse associate professor of television-radio-film Tula Goenka, the event serves to increase communications understanding among elementary school students.

“In today’s environment, children start consuming media at a very young age. We want to make them more savvy consumers and to help them understand that things do not just ‘appear’ on television or in the newspaper-that there is a certain process of construction of the story-and that they need to be more discerning as they interact with the media,” says Goenka.

Students will arrive at Newhouse for a welcome at 9:45 a.m. Newhouse Ambassadors-current undergraduate students in the Newhouse School-will serve as hosts for the Ed Smith School students. Participating Newhouse students include Emmelie De La Cruz, Letecha Dixon, Raymond Lapena, Naresh Rammohan, Ivory Sherman and Ariana Day Yeun.

Participating Newhouse faculty members include Michael Schoonmaker, chair of the Department of Television-Radio-Film; assistant professor of advertising Ed Russell, a veteran advertising executive; and Charlotte Grimes, Knight Chair in Political Reporting.For more information about Media Literacy Day, contact Goenka, who is chair of the Diversity Committee, at (315) 443-3376 or tgoenka@syr.edu.