Art Silverblatt, Ph.D
Professor, Department of Communication and Journalism
Webster University
St. Louis, Mo.
Silveram@webster.edu

CAREERS IN MEDIA LITERACY (2010)

Increasingly, students across the U.S. are developing a passionate interest in the field of media literacy. But although these students clearly understand the value of this area of study, they are faced with a practical consideration—namely, what careers are available for those who study media literacy.

Generally speaking, this discipline prepares individuals for any profession requiring critical thinking, research, and writing skills. But more specifically, media literacy students may pursue careers in the following fields:

Education

In the U.S., media literacy is included in the educational standards--what students are expected to know by graduation--in all fifty states. However, relatively few elementary or secondary schools actually teach media literacy, for a variety of reasons:

• With requirements like “No Child Left Behind,” teachers feel overwhelmed.
• Media literacy content does not appear on the state standardized tests—and, consequently, isn’t taught.
• Teachers are not prepared to teach the material.

However, in this era of educational accountability, it is reasonable to expect that media literacy will become part of the curriculum of elementary and secondary schools in the foreseeable future. As a result, there will be a growing demand for teachers who have a background in media literacy.

Faculty positions at the college level should be opening up as well. Currently, over 180 schools of higher education (community colleges, colleges and universities) throughout the U.S. offer coursework or programs in media literacy.

Most media literacy courses can be found in departments of communication.

However, as more elementary and secondary school districts begin to implement their media literacy requirements, require media, there also will be an increasing demand for faculty members in departments of education to teach the teachers.

Further, schools such as Morehead State University and Wesley College have added media literacy courses to their general education requirements for all of its students. If this trend catches on, the additional number of course offerings will increase the demand for instructors in this field.

Numerous organizations promote media literacy education in the United States, including:
• The Center for Media Education
• The National Alliance for Media Education (NAME)
• Media Education Foundation
• American Society of Educators (ASE)
• The National PTA - Children First & Media Programming
• Media Workshop New York
• Michigan Association for Media in Education
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• Project LOOK SHARP

In addition, enterprising media literacy graduates may work as educational consultants. Career opportunities include:

• Introducing media literacy to groups that are not reached through the conventional school system. Speaking to parents’ groups such as Parent/Teacher Organizations (PTOs) about the value of media literacy education has the added benefit of enlisting support for the implementation of the mandate for media literacy education in the schools. Administrators may not be attentive to the recommendations of teachers, but they are extremely responsive to parental concerns.
• Conducting professional development workshops for teachers. School districts routinely offer professional development programs to enhance their teachers’ instructional skills. Since most current teachers haven’t been exposed to media literacy curricula, professional development sessions provide an opportunity to introduce teachers to the principles of media literacy and assist them in developing classroom lessons.
• Developing classroom materials for teachers. Media coverage of news events, new films, advertising campaigns, and Internet developments provide innumerable “teachable moments” that illustrate and extend the principles of media literacy. However, teachers frequently lack the time to develop these relevant and timely lesson plans and curricula. These teaching materials could be distributed over the Internet on a subscription basis.
• Preparing parents to help their children contend with media-related issues, such as messages in video games and violence in the media. To illustrate, Parents as Teachers is an organization designed to equip parents to work with preschool children, so that they can become sensitive to the impact of the media, as well as learn some of the basic approaches to media literacy analysis. Significantly, even young children can become aware of the influence of production values such as music in a media presentation. And in the process, both young children and their parents become more critical consumers of media.

Business

In 2009, the average American consumed approximately 34 gigabytes of data and information each day — an increase of about 350 percent over nearly three decades At the same time, however, the amount of time that individuals spent reading actually declined.1 Consequently, many companies now place a value on employees who have the ability to interpret and construct messages, using the different “languages” of media, such as film & television, audio, and the Internet.

Elizabeth Daley, Dean of the School of Cinema-Television at the University of Southern California explains, "The greatest digital divide is between those who can read and write with media, and those who can't. Our core knowledge needs to belong to everybody."2 To illustrate, 60 academic courses at U.S.C. now require students to create term papers and projects that use video, sound and Internet components

In addition, premier business schools such as Harvard, Stanford, and The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto have redesigned their curriculum to emphasize critical thinking—the foundation of media literacy. Garth Saloner, Dean of Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, declares, “If I’m going to really launch you on a career or path where you can make a big impact in the world, you have to be able to think critically and analytically about the big problems in the world.”3

Steve McConnell, a managing partner of NBBJ, an architecture firm based in Seattle, has noticed a distinctly different approach in the Rotman students he has hired. “They seemed to be naturally free of the bias or predisposition that so many of us seem to carry into any situation. And they brought a set of skills in how you query and look into an issue without moving toward biased or predetermined conclusions that has led to unexpected discoveries of opportunity and potential innovation.”4

Recognizing this connection, Business and Management majors at Webster University can supplement their program of study with an 18-hour Certificate in Media Literacy.

Graduate Study

The discipline of media literacy is an excellent preparation for graduate study in a variety of disciplines. First, an undergraduate degree provides a solid foundation for continued study in media literacy and media studies (e.g., journalism, media studies, film studies production programs in video, film, and interactive media). In addition, coursework in media literacy is also valuable for students interested in graduate programs requiring research and critical thinking skills, such as public policy or law school.

Research

Media literacy students have become proficient at conducting research. A number of research centers affiliated with universities provide ongoing analysis of the media industry and media content, including:

In addition, privately funded organizations examine media coverage, including:

In addition, media literacy students can apply these research methodologies in a variety of other fields requiring qualitative and quantitative research skills, such as marketing and advertising.

Writing

A number of publications, both print and on the Internet, focus on media analysis, including:
• FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Media)
• Media Reality Check
• American Journalism Review
• Project for Excellence in Journalism
• Media Literacy for Prevention, Critical Thinking, Self Esteem
• The on-line project—University of Oregon

Surprisingly, media literacy analysis also appears throughout the popular press. To illustrate, many newspapers and magazines include media critics on their staff. Many of these critics have a narrow conception of their role, providing
superficial reviews of films and television programs. However, others have broadened their discussions to examine cultural trends, as reflected through media programming. In addition, feature stories and entertainment journalism can also reflect cultural attitudes, values, behaviors, preoccupations and myths.

Media Literacy Organizations

The mission of media literacy organizations is to promote the field of media literacy, as well as collecting and disseminating media literacy information. They also sponsor programs and conferences throughout the country. Examples of media literacy organizations include:

• Center for Media Literacy.
• Center for Media Education
• About Face
• National Telemedia Council
• Gateway Media Literacy Partners (GMLP)

Other organizations promote goals associated with media literacy. These organizations include:

• Children Now
• Action for Children's Television
• Children's Advertising Review Unit
• National Alliance for Non-Violent Programming

In addition, organizations formed by the newspaper, film, and television industries have instituted programs that promote critical understanding of the media. These programs are a very powerful and effective voice for media literacy outreach, lending valuable expertise and legitimacy to media literacy. Professional media organizations include:
• The Newspaper Association of America Foundation
• Creating Critical Viewers (National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences)
• Show Coalition
• The Taos Film Festival

Media Activism

Media reform activities are designed to democratize our communications environment. Organizations have been formed that analyze the political and economic impact of the media industry and identify strategies to implement change. In some cases, public policy organizations work in partnership with educational institutions, community organizations, and media literacy associations to promote changes in media policy. Organizations involved in media literacy activities include:

• Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA).
• The Consumer Federation of America,
• The Center for Digital Democracy
• The Media Access Project.
• The Annenberg Public Policy Center University of Pennsylvania.
• Center for Commercial-Free Public Television
• Center for Democracy and Technology.
• Center for Living Democracy (CLD)

Media activism also includes activities such as lobbying state and federal educational agencies. Identifying funding agencies willing to lend its support is an ongoing challenge facing these groups. But successful programs can make a significant contribution to the culture.

Community Media Activities

Religious organizations, public access groups, and privately funded organizations have established media literacy programs in their communities. These outreach efforts reach audiences typically not reached by academic institutions. Examples include:

• Community Media Workshop
• The Southern New Mexico Media Literacy Coalition (SNMMLC)
• Media Literacy Working Group
• Media Network
• Northwest Media Literacy Institute (NMLI)
• Alliance for Community Media
• Media Aware
• Media Center for Children (MCC)
• Davis Community Television
• Plugged In
• Public TV Outreach Alliance
• American Center for Children’s Television.
• Children's Music Network (CMN).
• New Mexico Media Literacy Project
• Taos County Media Literacy Network
• National Foundation to Improve Television (NFIT)

Media Production

The study of media literacy in combination with production areas, preparing students for careers in broadcast and print journalism, advertising, radio, television, film, and interactive media. Applying the principles of media literacy helps media professionals produce responsible and informative programming. For instance, news and documentary programs such as Frontline and On the Media heighten awareness of the impact of the media on our culture.

In addition, independent video producers promote media literacy by producing programming that focuses on media literacy issues. Production companies include:
• The Association for Independent Video and Filmmakers
• The Foundation for Independent Video and Film
• Boston Film and Video Foundation
• The Northwest Film Center.

Another avenue for media production consists of media arts programs, which provide insight into the construction of meaning by combining production with critical analysis. Examples of media arts programs include:
• The National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
• Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP)
• Minnesota Center for Arts Education
• MediaRites
• Media Working Group Inc,
• 911 Media Arts Center
• L.A. Freeway.

Other media production opportunities involve developing media literacy curriculum
materials for classroom use. Examples of production companies that specialize in media literacy classroom materials include: Educational Video Center, Listen Up Network, and Intl Telcom Services Inc.

Conclusion

This article is an effort to identify trends that can help media literacy students look for professional applications for their interests and skills. The organizations identified in the article are merely intended to serve as examples and by no means represent a comprehensive list.
It should also be made clear that I am not posting jobs, nor am I suggesting that the organizations that I cited have current job openings. The article should serve as a springboard for students to conduct further investigation into careers in media literacy.

It is quite possible that this article presents an overly-optimistic scenario with respect to one career path or has overlooked another area entirely. I welcome feedback from media literacy professionals and job seekers, so that I can update the article to make it as accurate as possible.