Media Literacy Week 2026

It's the 12th Annual Media Literacy Week, Oct. 26-30th, hosted by the National Association for Media Literacy Education! Get ready to Access, Analyze, Evaluate, Create, and Act through a week of interactive activities that put your media literacy skills to the test! Decide if a headline is clickbait or real news, see what your digital footprint says about you, take on quick information-literacy challenges, get creative in the Makerspace, and enjoy some Halloween-themed fun along the way.

Whether you’re scrolling TikTok, checking the news, researching for class, creating content, or just wondering “Wait…is this actually true?”, these activities will give you practical tools to spot misinformation, protect your privacy, evaluate what you see online, and become a savvier digital citizen.

Come hang out, test your skills, get creative, grab some treats, and see what the Libraries have to offer! No expertise required—just bring your curiosity (and maybe your best clickbait detective skills).

Stay tuned for full details of our event line-up and workshop registrations! All events will be held in the main library, John C. Hodges!

Access, Monday, Oct. 26, 2nd Floor Tabling, 12PM-2PM

"Clickbait or Cupcake: Ditch the Clickbait & grab a cupcake"

Kick off Media Literacy Week at the UTKs Hodges Library with a tasty, interactive library activity about how we get our news, and how to tell what’s worth your attention. Drop a pom-pom to show your news habits, try quick media literacy checks, and discover news sources and library resources available to you. Your feed has opinions. Your library has sources. Come check both.

Analyze, Tuesday, Oct. 27, Hodges Library 220E 1:15-2:15PM

MLW Lunch N Learn // Take Control of Your Data: Data Privacy & Online News Sources Workshop, , REGISTER HERE: tiny.utk.edu/MLW2026

How easy is it for a complete stranger to find your personal information online and why does the way you search for information matter? Join us during Media Literacy Week for an interactive, 45-minute workshop designed to map out your digital footprint and sharpen your critical eye online. You’ll partner up with others to learn key strategies to protect your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and map out your daily news habits to spot echo chambers and blind spots. Lunch will be provided, and every participant will get to take home a free digital kit!

Evaluate, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2nd Floor Tabling, 12PM-2PM

Stop by the UTK Library in Hodges for a quick 5-Minute Information Literacy Challenge! Test your skills with a real-world headline, learn a few easy ways to spot misleading information, and spin the wheel for a prize, stickers, candy, flashlights, and more. Think you can spot the red flags? Before you trust a headline, ask: Who? What evidence? When? Why? Can I verify it? Swing by, take the challenge, and leave with a new information-checking skill!

Create Thursday, Oct.29 Hodges Medbery Makerspace, All day drop in activity

Get crafty, get spooky, and get media-literate! Stop by the library for Halloween-themed makerspace crafts and a spooky photo booth where you can show off your media literacy skills.

Grab a premade bracelet-making baggie and create your own Media Literacy Week–themed bracelet with fun colors and messages.

Snap a pic, tag the library, and share your best “I checked the source” moment!

Spooky crafts. Sharp skills. Zero clickbait.

Act Friday, Oct. 30, 2nd Floor All day stand-alone Interactive Display

Trick or Truth? Take Action!

Can you spot what’s spooky about a source? Stop by the library, examine a headline or media clip, and decide what you would do next. Add your trusted news source to the Community Treat Basket so your recommendation can help other students find reliable information. We’ll reveal what UTK students identified as tricks, and which sources they trust to our community the following week.