PHOTOS BY KEA TAYLOR / IMAGINE PHOTOGRAPHY FOR NEWS LITERACY PROJECT .
Lindsay Downs accepts the educator of the year award from Charles Salter , president and CEO of the nonpartisan nonprofit News Literacy Project .
Lindsay Downs gives an acceptance speech at Planet Word in Washington , D . C . on June 3 , 2024 , after receiving the
News Literacy Project ’ s educator of the year award .
Lindsay Downs , a dedicated librarian at Sewickley Academy , has been honored as the News Literacy Project ’ s 2024 Alan C . Miller Educator of the Year . An educator for 15 years , Lindsay is celebrated for her commitment to cross-discipline learning and news literacy advocacy . Since discovering NLP resources in 2021 , she has integrated tools like Checkology ® and The Sift ® into her curriculum , empowering students to discern fact from fiction — calling her efforts “ a labor of love .”
Lindsay ’ s colleague , Learning Specialist Dorothy Killmeyer , nominated her for the award , highlighting Lindsay ’ s efforts to
Lindsay Downs is surrounded by her family outside of Planet Word in Washington , D . C ., where she was honored with the 2024 Alan C . Miller Educator of the Year award by the nonpartisan nonprofit News Literacy Project .
foster research and information literacy among middle schoolers and her collaboration with teachers across various subjects . “ Lindsay collaborates with teachers from grades 6-12 in multiple subject areas ,” says Killmeyer . “ She works diligently with them to ensure that they can locate , evaluate and create information ethically and accurately .”
Lindsay emphasizes the importance of news literacy in preparing students for their roles as informed citizens and voters . She collaborates with educators to incorporate these concepts into diverse subjects , including a recent project with a science teacher on climate change research . Lindsay also stresses the critical thinking skills necessary to navigate misinformation and believes that media literacy education should be a national priority and is concerned about the potential decline in
communication without widespread media literacy education . “ I think that as a society we really need to think about what media literacy education looks like ,” she says . “ I would love to see that implemented in every state .”
“ As a librarian , I teach information literacy , which encompasses all types of sources , ranging from news , magazines , reference , websites , books , social media , academic journals , primary sources and secondary sources — the list goes on ,” says Lindsay . “ The News Literacy Project ’ s resources have been such an asset to my curriculum .”
“ As I have had time to reflect on this award and the importance of this work , I have thought about news literacy in particular — what makes news literacy important is that we are all news consumers in one way or another ,” she continues . “ Some of us may never pick up a reference book after graduating high school , but we all interact with the news , whether it be through our televisions , radios , phones , search results , social media feeds , influencers or casually discussed between friends and family .”
Alan C . Miller , who founded NLP in 2008 , created the organization to equip educators with tools to teach students how to separate fact from fiction . Miller , a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist , has been recognized for his contributions to journalism and education . The Educator of the Year Award — named in his honor — acknowledges exceptional educators like Lindsay who champion news literacy and its vital role in society . n
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