by Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, Executive Director
In November 2018, Alex Bogusky, co-founder and Chief Creative Engineer at acclaimed ad agency Crispin, Porter, and Bogusky (CPB) asked an important question: “Whose Job Is it to Clean up the Media Environment that is Making Us Sick?“ While CPB strives to only create positive, entertaining and relevant marketing communications, they are the first to admit that everything generated by the advertising industry contributes in some way to a polluted media environment. As a result, CPB committed to giving 1% of their agency profits to advance media literacy across the country and support a population adept at confronting advertising and other forms of media with critical thinking.
Over the last year, I have been talking with several key figures at CPB including Danielle Aldrich, President, and their heads of strategy, Jennifer Hruska and Courtney Loveman about NAMLE’s work, the state of media literacy education in the U.S. and how to build a more responsible advertising industry. These talks culminated recently with a formation of an official partnership between CPB and NAMLE in an effort to deepen our work and expand our audience. As part of the partnership, CPB will be working with us on our branding and our public awareness efforts and providing financial support as well. NAMLE will also be working with CPB on ways to increase the advertising industry’s awareness and understanding of media literacy education and the important role they can and should play in the media environment.
During a recent two day visit to their offices in Boulder, Colorado, we had the opportunity to speak with the staff about media literacy, conduct workshops, and record an extensive podcast interview entitled “Representation and Critical Thinking in Media” on their podcast series The Woodshed. In the first half, I share my story of losing my father in the Pan Am Flight 103 air disaster and how it shaped my thinking of media coverage. In the back half, Alex and I talk about representation, the importance of media literacy education, and why critical thinking and analysis is imperative to our future.
To listen to the full podcast episode, listen below or click here.
You can also check out a video click of the interview that Alex posted on LinkedIn here!