Media Literacy Now

Media Literacy Now
Name	Media Literacy Now
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2015
Founder	Anne Collier; Renee Hobbs
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Focus	Media literacy advocacy; policy reform; teacher resources

Media Literacy Now is a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on advancing media literacy policy, curricular standards, and teacher support across the United States. It operates at the intersection of youth safety, civic information, and digital citizenship, engaging legislators, educators, and civil society groups. The organization collaborates with state governments, national coalitions, and philanthropic funders to promote statutory and regulatory change.

History

Media Literacy Now was formed amid a growing movement for media literacy that included actors and institutions such as Common Sense Media, Pew Research Center, American Library Association, National Writing Project, and Project Look Sharp. Early influences on the organization’s work included pedagogical scholarship from Howard Gardner, policy reports from Federal Communications Commission staff, and advocacy from groups like National Association for Media Literacy Education and NewseumED. The group’s emergence followed legislative developments in states such as California, Washington (state), and New Jersey, and it aligned with national initiatives connected to the Every Student Succeeds Act and frameworks promoted by ISTE and ASCD. Leadership drew on networks around figures such as Anne Collier, Renee Hobbs, Douglas Kellner, and Henry Jenkins, while engaging with media institutions like The New York Times, NPR, BBC, and The Washington Post.

Mission and Activities

Media Literacy Now’s mission emphasizes civic resilience and critical inquiry, partnering with organizations including Teaching Tolerance, First Draft News, The News Literacy Project, Ad Council, and Common Sense Media. Its activities span legislative drafting, teacher training, and public campaigns; collaborations include policy briefings with offices in United States Congress, convenings with staff from U.S. Department of Education, and consultations with state departments such as California Department of Education and New York State Education Department. The organization produces model bills influenced by precedents from Texas, Illinois, and Oregon, and synthesizes research from institutions like Stanford Internet Observatory, RAND Corporation, Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia Journalism School, and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Policy and Advocacy

The advocacy strategy targets state legislatures and municipal bodies, building on legislative examples from Minnesota, Vermont, Maryland, Connecticut, and Colorado. Media Literacy Now works with policy partners including Common Cause, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Brennan Center for Justice, Bipartisan Policy Center, and Public Knowledge. Its policy proposals reference standards and evidence used by National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers, Digital Promise, and the National Association of State Boards of Education. The organization has engaged with lawmakers linked to committees such as U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor and U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and has cited legal contexts involving First Amendment jurisprudence and decisions shaped by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Programs and Educational Resources

Media Literacy Now curates curricular guidance and toolkits informed by work at MIT Media Lab, Stanford d.school, The Newseum, and university centers including University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School for Communication, Northwestern Medill School, Teachers College, Columbia University, and University of Michigan School of Information. Resources reference classroom practices promoted by KQED Learn, PBS NewsHour Classroom, Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, and nonprofit curricula from Facing History and Ourselves and Youth & Participatory Politics Research Network. Professional development offerings align with competencies advocated by International Society for Technology in Education and credentialing frameworks seen at EdX, Coursera, and Digital Promise Global courses.

Partnerships and Funding

The organization partners with philanthropic and advocacy groups including Knight Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Annenberg Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York, and collaborates with civic media organizations such as ProPublica, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Associated Press, and The Guardian Foundation. It has received support or engaged in joint projects with entities like Facebook (Meta), Google, YouTube, Microsoft, and Twitter (X), while maintaining programmatic ties to academic labs such as Columbia School of Journalism’s Tow Center, Oxford Internet Institute, Harvard Berkman Klein Center, and University of Southern California Annenberg. State-level alliances have included partnerships with offices in Illinois State Board of Education, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Impact and Reception

Media Literacy Now’s influence is visible in legislation modeled on its templates adopted in states like Rhode Island, Colorado, New Jersey, and Virginia, and in curricular discussions referenced by National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. Scholars and commentators from Columbia Journalism Review, The Atlantic, Brookings Institution, The Conversation, and The New Yorker have debated its approaches alongside critiques from civil liberties organizations such as American Civil Liberties Union and privacy advocates tied to Electronic Frontier Foundation. Evaluations draw on empirical studies from RAND Corporation, Stanford History Education Group, and Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center to assess outcomes in classrooms associated with programs by Common Sense Media and The News Literacy Project. The organization’s work continues to shape dialogues among policymakers, educators, journalists, and technology firms across forums hosted by SXSW EDU, Web Summit, and Aspen Ideas Festival.

Category:Nonprofit organizations based in Washington, D.C.