Media Education

Thinking critically about media and speaking out on the media mainstage are among our strongest tools against propaganda and manipulation in today's mega-merged media culture.

Yet at a time when the walls between journalism, advertising, entertainment and marketing are disintegrating, it is becoming increasingly difficult for women's and public interest voices to make a real dent in the public debate.

WIMN's media education program helps concerned individuals and organizations develop critical media literacy and strategic communications skills, build connections with grassroots media organizations, and uncover relevant research. Components include:

Read what participants have said about WIMN's workshops and contact WIMN to discuss how we can help your organization more effectively engage with – and change – the media.

Visit WIMN's Action Center for media links and tips on crafting letters to the editor and placing op-eds.

Photo Gallery

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Media Training Workshops

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In today's hyper-saturated media climate, negative images of women area everywhere, from crime shows depicting intense, sexualized violence against women, to inaccuracy and bias in news coverage of the social, economic and political issues that affect women's lives.

WIMN's sliding-scale, capacity-building media training workshops give women's and social justice groups the tools they need to challenge media bias and get their own messages heard.

Through sessions tailored to the needs of your organization, participants learn concrete, easily adaptable strategies to:

Deconstruct media "spin"
Develop relationships with the press
Debunk misinformation
Generate positive coverage
Access (or create) independent media alternatives
Leverage their power in the media justice movement

WIMN has provided media training, coaching and ongoing support to dozens of community and campus groups advocating for girls, low-income women, immigrant women, prisoners, women's international human rights, lesbian rights, economic justice, anti-racism, peace and other social justice causes.

Resource Guide for Media Activists

Want to know how to stay informed, and how to begin to improve the media landscape? WIMN's extensive Resource Guide for Media Activists connects you to some of the most important independent media outlets, advocacy organizations, blogs, publishers and books related to media issues.

Field Guide to Media Research

For years, studies have documented the media's marginalization and misrepresentation of women, people of color, youth, LGBT people and others in media content and within the media industry. WIMN's Field Guide to Media Research aggregates some of the most relevant research available on media representation, participation, production and impact. Topics include media and women/gender, race, youth, LGBT, war and commercialism.

Related: Media Analysis and Media Justice Advocacy

WIMN's media education program is closely tied to our media analysis program, which produces a multimedia lecture series, publishes well-documented content analysis and hosts a media-monitoring group blog, and our media justice program, which supports women working to improve the media landscape, demands media accountability and advocates institutional change.

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WIMN has provided media training to the following groups:

2006

• "Women and Media Activism: Getting Involved, Making Change," media training workshop, College of New Jersey, Ewing, N.J.

2005

• Media training for EMPOWER NOW, feminist campus group at Seattle Central Community College, Seattle, Wash.

• Media Training for Women's Social Justice Grantees of The Sister Fund, as part of the "Summer at the Sister Fund" Technical Assistance Program, New York, N.Y., 2002-2005

The following Sister Fund grantees attended WIMN's media trainings over the course of four summers:
• African American Lesbians United for Social Change • Albanian American Women's Organization • Family Health Project • Families United for Racial and Economic Equality • GEMS: Girls Education and Mentoring Service • Global Education Associates • Global Women's Exchange • Groundswell • Handcrafting Justice • Hour Children, Inc. • Ifetayo Cultural Arts Facility • Justice Works Community, Inc. • Project People Foundation • RAIN: Research, Action & Information Network for Bodily Integrity of Women, Inc • Sahki for South Asian Women • Sista II Sista • Urban Justice Center • viBe theater experience • Women for Afghan Women • Women's Perspective on Money and Spirituality

• Media workshop for KALCA: Korean American League for Civic Action, New York, N.Y., for participants in KALCA's Asian Pacific American student leadership program

• Media training and consulting for viBe theater experience, New York, N.Y., May 2005 - ongoing

• Media training for the National Organization for Women-Chicago

• Media training for campus activists at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Wash.

2004

• Media training for the National Organization for Women-Chicago

• Media training for Chicago Foundation for Women grantees working on girls empowerment, Chicago, Ill.

The following organizations participated in collaboration with CFW:
• Chicago Girls Coalition • Global Girls • Thank You Darling • Young Women's Empowerment Project

2003

• Media training and ongoing support for Women for Afghan Women, New York, N.Y.

2002

• Media training for reproductive rights advocates conducted as two "From Abortion Rights to Social Justice: Building the Movement for Reproductive Freedom" conferences given annually by the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program at Hampshire College, Amherst, Mass., April 2002 & 2001

2001

• Media training for student activists at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.

Previous workshops conducted by Jennifer L. Pozner:

• "Attack of the Teen 'Super Predators' or Media on the Attack?: Unpacking Anti-Youth Media Myths," workshop at the Quaker Young Friends Retreat, Ottsville, Penn.

• Media coaching session for Title IX advocates at the Educational Equity Act Annual Conference, Boston, Mass.

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