Our mission is to ensure that all Massachusetts students are taught the critical thinking skills needed to engage with media as active and informed participants in the 21st century.
Our vision: Through education, research, advocacy and networking, we bring critical Media Literacy education to Massachusetts’ schools and communities.
A critical approach to Media Literacy education addresses the structural and institutional components of the media industry and technologies. It embraces a critical and cultural approach with a focus on social justice. As independent critical media literacy scholars, we do not accept money or support from corporate media.
OUR TEAM
Our vision: Through education, research, advocacy and networking, we bring critical Media Literacy education to Massachusetts’ schools and communities.
A critical approach to Media Literacy education addresses the structural and institutional components of the media industry and technologies. It embraces a critical and cultural approach with a focus on social justice. As independent critical media literacy scholars, we do not accept money or support from corporate media.
OUR TEAM
Allison Butler, PhD
Senior Lecturer & Director of Undergraduate Advisor; Director, Media Literacy Certificate Program, Department of Communication, University of Massachusetts Amherst 
Dr. Nolan Higdon
Dr. Nolan Higdon is an author and university lecturer of history and media studies. Higdon’s areas of concentration include youth culture, news media history, and critical media literacy. He sits on the boards of the Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME) and Northwest Alliance For Alternative Media And Education. His most recent publications include United States of Distraction (co-author with Mickey Huff, City Lights, 2019) and The Anatomy of Fake News: A Critical News Literacy Education (University of California Press, 2020). He is co-host of the Along the Line podcast with “Dr. Dreadlocks” Nicholas Baham III, and a longtime contributor to Project Censored’s annual book, Censored. In addition, he has been a contributor to Truthout and Counter-punch; and a source of expertise for The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and numerous television news outlets. |
Ben Boyington, M.Ed.
Ben Boyington, M.Ed., teaches media, English, film, and history. He believes that education must foster our ability and capacity to engage in public action, and that heutagogy is more important than pedagogy. With these principles in mind, he places skepticism and questioning at the core of course design, whether that course is 9th-grade Language Arts or media studies, and works to negotiate curriculum with students. His research into the 1:1 screen initiative is published in Media Education for a Digital Generation (Routledge, 2016). 
Erin Kinney, MA
Marketing Specialist, Community Partnerships, Education Manager, Market Researcher, MA in media, culture, and communication |
FISCAL SPONSOR
The Media Education Foundation is a leader in the production and distribution of documentary films and other educational resources that inspire critical thinking about the social, political, and cultural impact of American mass media. The Media Education Foundation is Mass Media Literacy's fiscal sponsor, providing non-profit status to our organization.
The Media Education Foundation is a leader in the production and distribution of documentary films and other educational resources that inspire critical thinking about the social, political, and cultural impact of American mass media. The Media Education Foundation is Mass Media Literacy's fiscal sponsor, providing non-profit status to our organization.
OUR PARTNERS
We're proud to align and partner with the following organizations:
We're proud to align and partner with the following organizations:
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Jeanne Kilbourne
Author, Pioneer in researching women's representation in media |
Diane Levin
Author, Media Educator, Activist |
Erica Scharrer, Ph.D.
Author, Professor in Communication Department at UMass Amherst |
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