Loyola SPJ Chapter Reveals Groundbreaking News Literacy Survey
Presentation and Panel Discussion Feb. 18, 2015
The Loyola SPJ Chapter conducted more than 500 inperson interviews with students during mid-October 2014. Survey findings were compiled in December and will be released during a special presentation in Loyola’s Convergence Studio at the Water Tower Campus. The event will feature noted journalism professionals who will discuss the survey’s results with a participating studio audience. Beginning at 6 p.m., this presentation is free and open to the public with complimentary refreshments. Reserve your spot at http://bit.ly/1Jad6Aj.
Panelists
-Don Heider, Dean of the School of Communication Loyola University Chicago
-Mary Wisniewski, President of the Chicago Headline Club and National Correspondent for Thomson Reuters
-Don Wycliff, former Chicago Tribune Editor and Board Member of the McCormick Foundation
-TBA, a representative from NPR (WBEZ)
About the Survey
The Loyola SPJ news literacy survey was conducted as part of an effort recognizing National News Engagement Day sponsored by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Loyola’s SPJ Chapter developed a news literacy survey, which asked more than 500 students how they receive news, what devices they use to consume news, the credibility of news sources and how they define news.
“The goal of this project was to understand the importance of news literacy among our student body at Loyola,” said Loyola SPJ Chapter President Samantha Sartori. “The future of journalism is dependent on the public’s knowledge of credible and reliable sources and our project provides valuable insights.”
Featured Key Findings
Students define what they consider news and more than half said they consume news on a daily basis. Students identified their most credible sources of information and news, which included CNN, BBC and the New York Times among others. Students consume their news predominantly on mobile devices and computers.
“We’re not surprised that young adults are shifting to digital devices to retrieve news,” said Loyola SPJ Executive Board Member Grace Runkel. “We were surprised how students defined news and what they preferred as credible media outlets.”
About Loyola’s SPJ Chapter
The chapter is recognized regionally and nationally for its work and leadership. Chapter members have received several Mark of Excellence awards for outstanding student journalism and the organization has been praised for its tutoring project at SennHigh School. Loyola SPJ’s faculty chapter advisor is Beth Konrad.
For more information:
Samantha Sartori: 4123709497,
ssartori@luc.edu
Grace Runkel: 5028197814,
grunkel@luc.edu