Dean of Liberal Arts Amy Callahan

Amy Callahan, interim dean of liberal arts at Northern Essex Community, will give a presentation on “Propaganda, Media Literacy and Democracy” for the ‘Monday Mornings’ program series at Beverly Public Library, 32 Essex Street, on October 7, 2019 at 9:30 a.m. The program is free and open to the public.

Signs point to a bleak picture in media literacy today: there’s a documented inability of young people to understand the online media they consume, says Callahan. This talk will explore the many efforts in education and journalism to increase the media literacy skills so vital to democracy. Callahan will also examine the challenges facing this endeavor. Professor Amy Callahan has studied this issue from many angles, as a former journalist, public relations professional, and media literacy education scholar. She had an article on media literacy published in Education Week.

Prior to being named interim dean of liberal arts in June of 2019, Callahan was a professor in the English Department and the coordinator of the Journalism/Communication Program at Northern Essex Community College. Before joining the NECC faculty in 2000, she worked for more than ten years as a journalist and editor, including writing for the Boston Globe, the Holyoke Transcript-telegram, and the Vineyard Gazette, where she received honors from the New England Press Association. She is also the former managing editor of the Columbia University Record, published by Columbia University’s Office of Public Affairs in New York City. She holds an M.F.A. in writing from Columbia University and a B.A. in journalism from Northeastern University.

This presentation is offered through the Northern Essex Community College Speakers Bureau. For additional information on the NECC Speakers Bureau, please visit the Speakers Bureau website or contact speakersbureau@necc.mass.edu or at 978-556-3862.

For more information on the presentation at Beverly Public Library, contact Ona, ridenour@noblenet.org or call 978-921-6062.

Northern Essex Community College has campuses in both Haverhill and Lawrence. It offers more than 60 associate degree and certificate programs as well as hundreds of noncredit courses designed for personal enrichment and career growth.  Each year, more than 5,000 students are enrolled in credit associate degree and certificate programs on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses; and another 2,600 take noncredit workforce development and community education classes on campus, and at businesses and community sites across the Merrimack Valley.  For more information, visit the NECC website or call 978-556-3700.