The Progressive State Network congratulates the New Mexico legislature for passing a “media literacy” law here. The law allows schools to teach media literacy courses in the 6th-12th grades, but, of course, that is the first step to making them required.
Now who could be against teaching kids medial literacy? The bill’s sponsor is quoted as stating,
“It [media literacy] provides a foundation for young people to decipher the countless
media images and messages they receive on a daily basis… Media
literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as
well as essential critical thinking skills necessary for citizens in an
advanced democracy.?
Call my a cynic, but my experience with environmental education shows that progressives define critical thinking as making sure kids are indoctrinated in liberal ideology.
Although HB 342 did not define media literacy, the New Mexico Media Literacy Project (NMMLP), which serves as a resource to school districts, defines media literacy
as the ability to critically consume and create media, including
understanding the ?text? (surface content) and ?subtext? (hidden
meanings) in messages received from: television, radio, newspapers,
magazines, books, billboards, signs, packaging, marketing materials,
video games, recorded music, the Internet, and other media. According
to New Mexico Medial Literacy Project for a list of all of the far left “critical thinking” activities that they want to get into the NM schools including, White History Week that focuses on ending racism in New Mexico.NMMLP’s motto is “Cultivating critical thinking and activism in our media culture to build healthy and just communities.”
