Renee Hobbs on the role of trust and empathy in media literacy

In this episode, we explore how some tenets of media literacy can be co-opted by conspiracy theorists, and how to approach media literacy education in a way that ensures students have the skills and abilities to navigate this landscape and assess information holistically.

My guest is Renee Hobbs – professor of communication studies at the Harrington School of Communication and Media at the University of Rhode Island; Director of the Media Education Lab; author of the new book, Mind Over Media: Propaganda Education in a Digital Age.

In part two of my conversation with Renee Hobbs, we explore the limitations of media literacy taught in isolation, including how it can be flipped by conspiracy theorists, as well as the importance of teaching media holistically, and hand-in-hand with things like empathy, discernment, art, and collaboration.