Teachers as digital media specialists: Tackling lies, fake news and misinformation in the 21st century.
Thrilled to be invited to open the 2026 school year with a keynote address to all staff at St Aloysuis’ College on 27 January. The topic is prescient given the Bondi terror attack on the 14 December and the commitment by the Federal Government to a greater focus on how Australian schools can prevent, tackle and properly respond to antisemitism.
A key part of education here is critical thinking, identifying misinformation, understanding why conspiracy theories are popular and how to stand up to language that is not democratic or respectful.
The presentation will include recent work involving critical thinking at a NSW secondary school alongside the decadal report (see previous post) on Australian print media and its reportage on young people, citizenship and democracy.
My work in this space has been supported by schools in NSW who identify a small team to work with an academic partner and a European group of journalists who are highly experienced in up-skilling teachers, students and their communities in effective strategies to resist online disinformation and polarisation.
If you would like to know more about opportunities to participate in this kind of professional learning please contact me at jane.hunter@uts.edu.au or janelouisehunter@gmail.com