Looking back: CMCE’s “Making Sense of News Reporting in an Era of Disinformation”

Programs Challenge yourself in our intellectually rich and supportive learning environment guided by the highest standards of scholarship and a commitment to equity, diversity and social justice.
Future Students Join a community of passionate changemakers and emerging leaders where you'll feel valued, motivated, and engaged.
Current Students Reach your goals and access our network including a world-class education library, modern technology, clubs, career services, health, wellness, academic writing and other supports.
People Connect with our supportive community of learners, educators, researchers and alumni committed to producing and advancing education knowledge around the globe.
Research Discover research by our thoughtful and highly skilled scholars, educators, policy analysts and academic practitioners at one of North America’s most research-intensive faculties of education.
- Research Centres
- Research Projects
About We are home to a global community of top students, faculty and researchers united by a passion for advancing education research, policy, practice and change.
Contact

Looking back: CMCE’s “Making Sense of News Reporting in an Era of Disinformation”

February 1, 2026

On November 26, 2025, the Centre for Media Culture and Education hosted a timely public conversation on Making Sense of News Reporting in an Era of Disinformation, featuring Dr. rosalind hampton and Dr. Miglena Todorova, Associate Professors in Social Justice Education.

The successful event invited participants to think more carefully about their own relationships to news consumption and to consider the responsibilities of educators, journalists, and institutions in supporting informed public discourse. Read on for three key takeaways.

Media has never been neutral

Dr. Todorova and Dr. hampton traced a long history of partisan and sensational news, showing that the ideal of objective journalism often hides commercial and political interests rather than delivering pure truth. They unpacked how news is shaped by editorial decisions, profit motives, and audience emotions. Choosing what counts as news necessitates the choice of what does not count.

All states use media to govern

Drawing on experiences in socialist Eastern Europe and liberal-democratic Canada, the presenters shared that, regardless of ideology, governments seek to shape information flows and use media as a tool of power and statecraft. Dr. Todorova drew on her upbringing in a socialist state to show how tightly controlled media can serve ambitious social projects as well as repression. Dr. hampton contrasted this with Canada’s news storytelling, where limits are less obvious but still deeply political.

Research skills as a justice issue

Presenters recommended becoming our own journalists by using research methods—such as cross-checking sources, reading data, and consulting scholarship—and framed critical information literacy as a social justice necessity. Dr. Todorova described a post-socialist method rooted in doubt, arguing that learning to research should be as basic as learning to read. They invited students to treat research skills as everyday tools for navigating the polarized media landscape.

91ֱ��