Conference to discuss impact of mass media

“The Mass Media, Children, and Values: A Conference Promoting Media Literacy in Young People Today” is the topic of a day-long conference on Friday, March 30. It will take place at the Bishop Center, from 8:45 a.m. to 5:10 p.m.

The conference, sponsored by the Neag School of Education, the Alliance for a Media Literate America, and the Action Coalition for Media Education, is designed for teachers, health care professionals, counselors and prevention specialists, media leaders, parents, and others interested in exploring the huge, and often negative, impact of today’s mass media on children and youth.

During this fifth annual Northeast Media Literacy Conference, presenters and participants will discuss practical ways to incorporate media literacy concepts, methods, and materials into school, health, and community programs.

Keynote speakers include Sharon Lamb, and Jackson Katz. Lamb’s keynote address is titled “Packaging Girlhood – The Media Effects on Girls’ Identity and Values.”

She is a well-known clinical psychologist, author of The Secret Lives of Girls, and co-author of a new book, Packaging Girlhood.

Lamb is an expert on girls and sexuality, aggression, and the media, and conducts research on abuse and victimization.