It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Barbara Johnson, one of AME’s founding members. Barbara remained one of media literacy’s most staunch advocates, working tirelessly to support and promote media literacy initiatives both within our state of Washington and nationally.
From left to right:
Governor Jay Inslee, Dennis Small, Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Marilyn Cohen, Action for Media Education, Barbara Johnson, Action for Media Education
In addition to her involvement with AME, Barbara served for over 30 years as a key staff member for the Northwest Center for Excellence in Media Literacy, based in the College of Education at the University of Washington. During this time, Barbara helped to provide leadership on many of the Center’s projects. Colleagues who worked with Barbara greatly admired her tremendous organizational skills and the important guidance she was able to provide. Her passion for media literacy education was always a driving force and served as an inspiration not only to new students in this field but also to the many experienced teachers with whom she regularly had contact.
During her final days, both colleagues and friends from throughout the country sent messages of support, respect and love. This tremendous outpouring of emotion reflected the impact that Barbara has had on so many people. She will long be remembered for her kind and gentle spirit, her patient advice and guidance in difficult situations and the courage and perseverance which were apparent whenever she was presented challenges both professionally as well as personally during her long battle with illness.
In 2018 AME awarded Barbara a lifetime achievement award for all her many contributions to media literacy education. Barbara will be greatly missed. For all of us in AME who have had the privilege of working with her, we find this message she received from Senator Marko Liias, Washington’s champion for media literacy legislation, particularly meaningful:
“Barbara, I want to thank you for your relentless dedication to helping our young Washingtonians have a better understanding of this wild, crazy world we live in. I will always cherish the work we got to do together promoting media literacy. Your grace, poise, and deeply caring nature will be something I will always carry with me. You can rest assured that we will carry on and continue this important work, and we know you will be with us every step of the way.”
Snopes CEO David Mikkelson says the fact-checking website really took off after Sept. 11. “Conspiracy theories were running rampant.” (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)
Each semester, Michelle Ciulla Lipkin struggles with the right time to share a very personal story with her media studies students at Brooklyn College. She hopes it will help explain her desire for a more media-literate society. She also hopes it will explain how the media’s coverage of a news story forever changes the experiences of those individuals who become part of the story.
Marilyn Cohen, AME’s Executive Director, was one of the founding members. Marilyn has been actively involved in media literacy education since the early 90s. She also currently serves as the Director of the Northwest Center for Excellence in Media Literacy, College of Education, University of Washington. Through her work with AME and the NW Center, she has taken a leadership role in organizing conferences and workshops designed to grow the media literacy movement particularly in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, in 2007 she assumed leadership in organizing the nation’s first Media Literacy Research Summit, sponsored by the organization now known as the National Association for Media Literacy Education. Marilyn has also written a number of media literacy-based curriculum materials that have been implemented widely by schools as well as by a broad range of groups and organizations serving young people across the nation.
Dennis Small is the Educational Technology Director at the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, where he has worked since 1989. Among his roles and responsibilities at OSPI are promoting the state educational technology standards, assistance for district E-rate applications, assisting schools in the move to online assessment, advocating for high-speed bandwidth for schools, improving technology infrastructure equitably through the Computers 4 Kids Program, and supporting the K-12 educational use of the K-20 Network. He has also been actively involved in implementing SSB 6273 (2016) and SSB 5449 (2017) (
Linda Kennedy is the principal in the media education and consulting firm of LK Media. LK Media specializes in teaching media literacy to parents, teachers, students, caregivers, childcare providers, and community organizations. In addition, LK Media works with companies attempting to forge a media image and garner positive news coverage. Ms. Kennedy has more than 25 years of experience in the media. She started her career as a radio and television reporter in Omaha, Nebraska and after a short stint in Portland, Oregon moved to Seattle to become an a reporter, anchor, and producer at KING 5 News. Her “beats: included education, the environment, medicine, and consumer issues. After leaving KING, she directed internal and external communications for Public Health – Seattle & King County. Linda has been an AME board member since 1991, when the organization was still Foundation for Family Television. Anyone who knows her will tell you she can find a way to work media literacy into almost any conversation.
Media Studies Professor Nick Pernisco teaches online courses in media literacy for Santa Monica College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Radio-TV-Film and a master’s degree in Mass Communications, both from California State University, Northridge.
Tony Fadell’s wife likes to remind him when their three children’s eyes are glued to their screens that it’s at least partly his fault.
