Haiti: Reporting on Tragedy, Beyond the Headlines

Pulitzer Center photographer Andre Lambertson and journalist Lisa Armstrong have reported from Haiti on the aftermath of the quake and the ongoing struggles of people affected by HIV/AIDS in the country. They will present their most recent Haiti reporting and contrast it with the mainstream media's portrayals of the January earthquake. Their work, along with poet/writer Kwame Dawes, integrates traditional journalism, poetry, and video and photographic documentary elements to move the audience into a factual, yet sensory and sensitive, exploration of the issues and the people they are representing.<br>
Emphasizing critical thinking and news literacy skills, they will discuss the importance of distinguishing quality, fact-based news from the sensationalism that often surrounds tragedies. They will help students think about how they can become more active consumers of information by going beyond the headlines of death and destruction to reach a deeper understanding of the systemic crises, before and after tragedies like the earthquake. And they will explore why these kinds of systemic crises are often underreported, addressing such questions as who decides what is news, and why some topics receive attention while others do not as well as what youth can do about it.<br>
This event is held as a part of the High School News Literacy Summit hosted by Baruch College of the City University of New York on November 12, 2010.<br>
For more information, visit: <a href="https://blsciblogs.baruch.cuny.edu/hsnewsliteracy/&quot; target="_blank">http://blsciblogs.baruch.cuny.edu/hsnewsliteracy/</a&gt;