The IFC Media Project aims to raise awareness about the influences shaping today's media coverage and to improve understanding of the media's role in American society by examining media from a critical, independent perspective. The multi-platform campaign will include original programming, a high profile panel discussion, a new website and a series of town hall meetings.
"This
is the largest-scale pro-social initiative IFC has ever undertaken. We
took great care to line up a tremendous group of partners whose
credibility and expertise on the subject are unmatched, and we are
looking forward to sparking a spirited public discussion of these
important issues," said Jennifer Caserta, executive vice president
& general manager of IFC tv.
As
part of the campaign, IFC tv will also launch the IFC Media Project
website, (www.ifc.com/mediaproject), where users can get more
information about how to be better- informed, critical consumers of
media and strengthen their media literacy skills A key feature of the
site will be a media literacy quiz, developed exclusively for IFC in conjunction with the Media Education Lab at Temple University.
Designed to increase awareness of how media is consumed, analyzed and
interpreted, the quiz will measure perceptions and attitudes about
media, with a focus on news, advertising, film, and the internet .
That evening, IFC tv will premiere a six-part IFC original documentary series, also named IFC Media Project. Hosted by Peabody and Emmy Award-winning news correspondent Gideon Yago (CBS News, MTV), the series will air on IFC tv at 8 PM ET on Tuesday nights, through December 23. Created and produced by Honest Engine TV, Meghan O'Hara (Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko) and Nick McKinney (The Daily Show, Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days") the documentary series reveals the truth behind the news.
"We couldn't be launching this pro-social initiative and series at a more important time in our nation's history," said Evan Shapiro, president of IFC tv and Sundance Channel. "Media coverage of the election and the economy has run the gamut from credible and insightful to wholly unreliable, making it more important than ever for all of us to be able to filter news coverage with a discerning eye. IFC tv stands for independent thought, and this initiative reinforces our mission in a constructive and important way."
In addition, in conjunction with the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and the Media Education Lab at Temple University, IFC tv will launch a series of "I on the Media Town Hall Meetings." Taking place in December in Philadelphia and Boston, the first two events will bring together public officials, local television and newspaper professionals, independent filmmakers, academics and students who will discuss how media is created, edited and transmitted and reflect on how it shapes personal decision-making, public opinion and public policy.