Conference session

This session will examine the process, outcomes and implications of a collaborative media literacy education project co-created by the Winnipeg Free Press, the Government of Manitoba Department of Education and Early Childhood Learning, The Winnipeg Foundation, and the Winnipeg School Division. The Free Press Media Literacy and Learning platform features Indigenous pedagogies, customizable media literacy lesson plans, AI-assisted cataloguing of news items by curricular area, and tools and showcases for student journalism. The project integrates local news, government curriculum, and Indigenous pedagogies by repositioning the practice of journalism as place-based story-telling, empowering students to recognize the community-building power of local news through honouring and telling their own stories. In turn, the project centers the co-construction of knowledge as key to identity, solidarity, and community wellness, thus strengthening the relationship between freedom of the press and democratic participation. Future possibilities for replication and implications for further study and action will be discussed.