On Friday, April 3, 89 sixth-graders from Edward Smith Elementary School in Syracuse will
visit the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications to participate in the annual Media
Literacy Day. Sponsored by Newhouse's Diversity Committee and coordinated by Newhouse
associate professor of television-radio-film Tula Goenka, the event serves to increase
communications understanding among elementary school students.
"In today's environment, children start consuming media at a very young age. We want to
make them more savvy consumers and to help them understand that things do not just
'appear' on television or in the newspaper-that there is a certain process of construction of
the story-and that they need to be more discerning as they interact with the media," says
Goenka.
Students will arrive at Newhouse for a welcome at 9:45 a.m. Newhouse Ambassadors-
current undergraduate students in the Newhouse School-will serve as hosts for the Ed Smith
School students. Participating Newhouse students include Emmelie De La Cruz, Letecha
Dixon, Raymond Lapena, Naresh Rammohan, Ivory Sherman and Ariana Day Yeun.
Participating Newhouse faculty members include Michael Schoonmaker, chair of the
Department of Television-Radio-Film; assistant professor of advertising Ed Russell, a veteran
advertising executive; and Charlotte Grimes, Knight Chair in Political Reporting.
For more information about Media Literacy Day, contact Goenka, who is chair of the Diversity
Committee, at (315) 443-3376 or tgoenka@syr.edu.
