Media Literacy in the Age of Disinformation — 1 Oct 2025

Media literacy – the application of critical thinking skills to differentiate between fact and propaganda – has become an essential practice in today’s media environment. Now viewed by political operatives as a dangerous challenge to their representation of truth, the careful analysis of information appearing in all forms of media has never been more important to preserving democracy. Susan Meister, aware of the problems facing journalists today, formed the Media Literacy Coalition in order to inform people how false information can ensnare them, and why specific analytical skills to expose it are so important. She will discuss the importance of media literacy in today’s information universe, while Dr. Daisy Martin, an expert on the skills necessary to distinguish information from disinformation in all forms of media, will discuss how to protect yourself from unconsciously aiding those who would use the media to deceive.

Susan Meister is the founder of the Monterey-based Media Literacy Coalition, which comprises national experts in government, library science, journalism, education, and public policy. Its mission is to advance critical thinking skills so that people of all ages can differentiate between fact and propaganda. The Coalition recently received an award for Public Service Journalism in the 2024 California Journalism awards.