Teaching Disinformation in 2020: CIA Tips for Students and Educators

Presented by Peter Adams, Senior Vice President, Education, News Literacy Project; and Cindy Otis, Former CIA Officer, Author, Disinfo, Vice President of Analysis, Alethea Group
Hosted by Shaelynn Farnsworth, National Director of Educator Outreach and Success, News Literacy Project

Sponsored by News Literacy Project

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As you well know, misinformation and disinformation online can confuse, mislead, and even endanger your students. The News Literacy Project is working hard to ensure that young people do not become caught in a web of falsehoods, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories during election season and beyond by offering a diverse range of education resources.

Watch subject matter expert Peter Adams of the News Literacy Project and former CIA officer and author Cindy Otis in a conversation about the difference between misinformation and disinformation. Learn how to tell if a bot or a troll is behind the online content you see and what to do about it. Plus, dive into the information landscape surrounding the 2020 elections and political campaigns.

Along with highlighting resources, including the award-winning Checkology® virtual classroom, participants will learn strategies for honing news literacy skills using timely, real-world examples.  Come be a part of creating a “future founded on facts” for your students!

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders of the middle school, high school, and higher ed levels.

About the Presenters

Peter Adams is the News Literacy Project’s Senior Vice President of Education. He began his career as a classroom teacher in New York City schools through Teach For America. He has also taught in the Chicago public schools, at Roosevelt University, and at Chicago City Colleges’ Wilbur Wright campus. In addition, he has worked with the NYC Teaching Fellows program, with After School Matters, and as an independent education consultant.

Since joining NLP in 2009, he has coordinated classroom and after-school programs, served as Chicago program manager, worked on organizational strategy, and developed NLP’s digital program. He has also provided news literacy training and workshops to educators and others throughout the area. He was promoted to his current position in January 2014 and oversees NLP’s education team, which develops resources and training for teachers. He and the other team members are based in Chicago.

Peter is a graduate of Indiana University, where he majored in English and African American studies and co-founded an independent monthly student newspaper. He has a master’s degree in the humanities from the University of Chicago.

Cindy L. Otis is the Vice President of Analysis for Alethea Group, a disinformation investigation, and remediation firm, and is an expert on disinformation threat analysis and counter-messaging. She is also a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab and an Associate at Argonne National Lab. Prior to joining the private sector in 2017, she served in the CIA as a military analyst, intelligence briefer, and a manager in the Directorate of Intelligence. While at the CIA, she specialized in security issues in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. She is a frequent media commentator and is regularly cited in publications such as The Washington Post, New York Times, Politico, and NPR; she is a member of USA Today’s Board of Contributors. Cindy is also the author of the newly released, True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Identifying and Fighting Fake News, out now with Macmillan.

About the Host

Shaelynn Farnsworth is News Literacy Project’s national director of educator outreach and success. Shaelynn has over 20 years of experience in education. She spent the first part of her career as a high school English teacher in Conrad, Iowa, where she reimagined teaching and learning in her classroom and became a leader in the convergence between literacy and technology. Shaelynn focused on developing student skills in information consumption, creating innovative ways for students to demonstrate understanding, and inspiring healthy skepticism in the digital age. She was recruited by a regional state education agency in Iowa, where she was a school improvement consultant for seven years. Shaelynn supported districts throughout Iowa in the areas of literacy, technology, AIW, and systemic change. She was a member of the state’s literacy, social studies, and technology leadership teams. Shaelynn holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English from the University of Northern Iowa.

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The News Literacy Project is a nonpartisan national education nonprofit, provides programs and resources for educators and the public to teach, learn and share the abilities needed to be smart, active consumers of news and information and equal and engaged participants in a democracy.