Today's media ecosystem requires navigating a mix of professionally produced and user-generated content that often blurs together on platforms like YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has added yet another layer of complexity, making it even easier for misleading or fabricated material to appear credible. In this session, Dr. Michael A. Spikes, of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, explores how this blending of sources—and now AI-generated material—makes it harder to know what to trust. Leave this workshop with practical skills for assessing the credibility of information from different outlets and strategies for building a set of reliable sources.

Dr. Michael Spikes has been teaching, writing about, and developing curriculum on the subject of News Media Literacy and its production for more than 15 years. Currently, he is a Professor of Practice and the Program Director of Teach for Chicago Journalism at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Before joining Northwestern, Michael was a project manager for the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University. 

REGISTER HERE. Choose "Online" to receive the Zoom link to attend virtually.
 

This program is presented as part of the Civic Empowerment Series 2026, brought to you in partnership with Schaumburg Township Public Library and participating IL library partners.

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation, please call 847.392.0100, text 847.665.1491 or email us at accessibility@ahml.info