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Leading U.S. media historians, policy advocates and scholars will participate in two workshops exploring historical and present-day media harms and how they have affected communities of color and historically marginalized communities on April 1 and 8, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Integrative Learning Center, Communication Hub (third floor) on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. The events are free and open to the public. Those interested in attending are requested to register online.

Sponsored by the departments of communication and journalism, the series, “Media Reparations in Our Digital Era,” seeks to spark collective reflection and advance ideas on how to build more inclusive local media ecologies that respond to the information needs of communities in the digital age.

“These workshops are particularly relevant for local communities and nonprofit journalism projects in the Pioneer Valley and beyond, since a placeholder bill in support of local journalism was introduced at the Massachusetts Legislature in February,” notes Martha Fuentes-Bautista, senior lecturer and director of engaged research and learning in the UMass Amherst Department of Communication. “Over the last few years, California, New Jersey, New Mexico and Washington have passed similar bills, and we welcome the initiative of Massachusetts lawmakers moving in this direction. However, it is key that, in addressing critical information needs of local communities, states lend support to nonprofit newsrooms, ethnic media outlets and community media in underserved communities. We hope our workshops generate ideas and call attention on these issues in Western Mass.”

Each session will feature expert panel presentations followed by interactive discussions, providing an opportunity to engage with the topic and contribute to the ongoing dialogue about media justice:
 

April 1: Histories and Legacies

Panelists:

• Joseph Torres, Free Press/Media 2070
• D’Weston Haywood, Hunter College, City University of New York
• Carla Murphy, Rutgers University-Newark
• Sarah J. Jackson, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania

April 8: Interventions

Panelists:

• Meredith Clark, Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Jessica J. González, Free Press/Media & Platform Accountability
• Amity Paye, Liberation Ventures/Reparations Narrative Lab

The workshop series is part of the Community, Democracy, and Dialogue (CDD) initiative and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ Democracy in Troubled Times program. It is co-sponsored by the Commonwealth Honors College, the Global Technology for Social Justice Lab and the Public Interest Technology (PIT) initiative.