Abigail Berman

Tag: media literacy

  • Addressing the Claims by the IMLS: Fact Checking our Resources

    It’s important to stop and think about the media we consume. Who’s sharing this information? What was their intention? How are you reacting to it?

    The Institute of Museum and Library Services, or IMLS, is a federal program that provides funding to, you guessed it, museums and libraries! On April 3, they posted a series of images onto Instagram explaining what taxpayer money is funding at the IMLS. Here’s what they had to say:

    $105,000 to address “systemic racism” in museums,

    $400,000 to research LGBTQ+ library users’ metadata,

    $1,500,000 for social justice programming,

    $6,700,000 to enhance equitable library programs,

    $4,000,000 for diverse staff development,

    $700,000 to research post-pandemic DEI practices,

    $140,000 to strengthen librarians’ understanding of LGBTQIA+ health, and

    $250,000 to erect LGBTQIA+ historical markers across Ohio.

    In total, that’s $13,795,000 worth of taxes that are being used to fund the IMLS. It’s a seemingly strange post. American citizens have the ability to look at what taxpayer money is funding, so this information isn’t groundbreaking. But we don’t see our towns posting on Facebook that they spent however much fixing potholes last year. So we ask, why are we given this information?

    Well, doing something as simple as googling “imls” shows us that somethings up. Funding has been pulled, people are losing their jobs, and states are threatening to sue… One thing all of these articles have in common is one thing: the IMLS is being targeted.

    On March 14, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that the IMLS along with many other government agencies that have been deemed “unnecessary” are to be “eliminated to the maximum extent.”

    But this is the IMLS Instagram page! Why would they brag about funding being pulled? Is it real? Did they get hacked? Who is sharing this information?

    Well, it’s complicated because all IMLS employees were put on administrative leave. So, we’re left to assume that it was the acting director, Keith Sonderling, the last remaining “employee.”

    But what about the content? What does $6.7 million to enhance equitable library programs mean? What does this do? It’s a lot of money! Is this really where taxpayer dollars are going?

    Well, this information is available to us on the IMLS government website. Under their additional resources tab, anyone can pull up the Fiscal Year 2025 Congressional Justification, a 48-page pdf detailing how much funding they’re looking for and how they plan on spending it. It may not be an exciting read, but it’s fairly easy to go through and notice that nothing in that post is representative of what is being said in the most recent Congressional Justification.

    So, what about the post is true? Well, the IMLS does provide grants specifically for African Americans, American Latinos, Native Americans, and Native Hawaiians. They also are actively providing equitable services across the country such as learning materials and internet access. They fund research into library user’s metadata, to better fill the needs of their patrons. And like many other professions, they ask their employees to continue their education.

    According to their annual public library survey, there are over 9,000 libraries that receive funding from the IMLS. $6.7 million to “enhance equitable library programs” across 9,000 libraries comes out to $744 per library, a seemingly insignificant amount.

    It’s important that we check where we get our information from. We need to stop and think about what the intent of the information was, who is sharing it, and whether or not I can be trusted. Through fact-checking a government post, we can see that were being told misinformation—a piece of propaganda against your local library. Although there may be truth behind the original post, it manipulates the reader into believing that one thing means something else.

  • Media Literacy and Unions

    I take a lot of pride in being able to go back to school at ASU, and I’m very thankful that my job at Starbucks provides me with this opportunity. My studies at ASU have made me more mindful of the media I consume and have taught me how to do better research.

    However, I do not just work at Starbucks. My store recently unionized, and I was lucky enough to be selected as its union representative. This week, I will be involved in my first bargaining session as a delegate! It’s been a challenge adding this new workload on top of already working and going to school full-time, but I’m very excited to work with all the other delegates and fight for my partners! 

    In the process of unionizing, I noticed a lot of misinformation about unions from my partners and people who don’t even work at Starbucks. Unions play an essential role in the workplace. Aspects of media literacy also pertain to our daily lives. It’s important to be able to identify misinformation in the media and spread by word of mouth. Either way, misinformation should be faced with proper research. 

    Misinformation about unions is incredibly dangerous. Workers have the right to choose whether to unionize or not, and feeding them with misinformation can deprive them of the benefits they would gain. I have coworkers who are afraid they’re not going to get paid, either from union dues or because they think Starbucks would outright withhold their paycheck. 

    Media literacy is an important skill. Witnessing a workplace unionize has shown me how being media illiterate affects people in their daily lives.

    Misinformation

    When Starbucks stores first began to unionize, Starbucks committed numerous NLRA violations. These actions resulted in employees being fired, disciplined, and even withholding pay. With the help of the media, these violations became wild accusations on social media. I heard partners tell me that they didn’t want to unionize because we would stop getting paid. And although this is technically true, it’s been blown out of proportion. This misinformation is harmful to workers. I hear my coworkers complain constantly about our working conditions and pay. It upsets me to know that they are falling victim to misinformation that is deterring them from the union when it will fight for them and their wants and needs. We need to put an end to the spread of misinformation. If you read something online or a friend tells you something and you think, “Wow! That’s crazy!” take a second and do a simple search to double-check if that information is true.

    Research

    Unionizing takes work. Union busting is a challenge that all organizing workers face, regardless of their employer; this is not something that is unique to working at Starbucks. But the question stands: how do you organize workers without being blatantly obvious and putting your job in danger? How do you communicate effectively to a large group without it becoming workplace gossip? It’s hard to find information about what the union will do for workers, especially with Starbucks Workers United. Since this union is new and there hasn’t been a contract, there is little information online. No facts are being shared; they are simply goals they want to achieve. People lack media literacy skills concerning research. Even outside the union, we’ve all been asked questions that could have easily been googled. But it’s important to have this skill. People don’t do their own research to see if a union is something they want but then proceed to ask someone who feeds them with misinformation. It’s a dangerous cycle, both online and in person, and at or outside work.

    Media literacy is an important asset that can impact our daily lives. Being able to identify misinformation or to do proper research can negatively affect us, as I’ve shown with unions. In today’s world, it’s important that we have a voice and fight for our rights, and learning how to be media literate is the first step!

    Disclaimer: I am not speaking on behalf of SBWU nor am I promoting unions.

  • Three ways to protect yourself online

    As we’ve grown up alongside the internet, we’ve been repeatedly cautioned about the permanence of our online posts. However, the need for vigilance extends beyond this. It’s crucial to be mindful of our internet usage and the potential risks associated with it.

    Our internet usage is constantly being monitored, and our data is tracked. Who or what may not be interested in you as a person, but they are interested in ways they can benefit from your data. When we share our data with one site, we cannot control where they then share our data. Without knowing what these third-party companies are doing with our data, we must protect ourselves and our data from them. There are also people who are interested in obtaining your personal information to commit credit card or identity theft. These things can be detrimental to our individual lives or to the lives of others. Here are some ways we can better protect ourselves:

    1. VPN
    2. Multi-factor Identification
      • Using multi-factor identification when logging into personal accounts online adds an extra layer of protection from potential hackers. Multi-factor identification can range from sending codes to your phone or email to using separate programs. These extra steps may be annoying, but they can greatly reduce your risk of being hacked.
    3. Encryption
      • Encrypting your devices is another layer of protection, similar to multi-factor identification, that prevents your personal information on your devices from being accessed without first entering a password. This means that if you lose your phone or laptop, someone will not be able to access your personal files without entering whatever password you have set. You can encrypt your personal computers and smartphones.