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Competition Challenged Students to Educate Gen Z on Media Literacy

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), the foremost organization for students interested in the public relations and communications fields, announced that �ǿ����޴�ý University (MSU) received an honorable mention in the prestigious 2023 Bateman Case Study Competition.   This marks the second consecutive year that the school received this recognition.

This year’s Bateman Case Study Competition was hosted in partnership with News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan education nonprofit dedicated to building a news-literate nation. The competition challenged student teams to research, plan, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign to raise awareness and educate Gen Z about media literacy and the tools to help identify and stop the spread of mis and disinformation.

MSU’s month-long campaign – “Touch Grass Check Facts”- sought to spread awareness about misinformation and inspire greater diligence with fact-checking. The core campaign was MSU News Literacy Week, featuring a News Literacy Scavenger Hunt; “The Truth Matters: Building a News Literate Nation” panel featuring talent from WNBC and WNJU Telemundo; and a robust social campaign and public service announcement that ran on WNBC. The campaign also supported New Jersey’s new legislation mandating literacy education providing material and content for the state-wide effort.

“Our students developed a dynamic campaign that both engaged and educated their peers on the highly prevalent topic of misinformation,” said Mary Scott, Bateman team adviser at the School of Communication and Media. “To have made an impact on our campus and with the broader New Jersey/New York community, while the team gained real-life pr experience, is truly the win here.”   

The “Touch Grass, Check Facts” campaign was developed and implemented by five MSU students: Miriam Aguirre (’24), Driton Cadraku (’24) Gabrielle Florendo (’23), Robyn Platz (’24), and Rami Niwash (’23). Industry advisors included Ariane Romano, Executive Vice President at Magrino Public Relations, and communications veteran Erin Weinberg.

“We couldn’t be prouder of our amazing students for being nationally recognized for their smart, creative, and breakthrough campaign,” said Dr. Keith Strudler, Director of the School of Communication and Media. “This was a very relevant and critical topic, resulting in the entire school and our partners at WNBC/Telemundo supporting this media literacy initiative to benefit all our students.

About the BATEMAN CASE STUDY COMPETITION AND Public Relations Student Society of America
The Bateman Case Study Competition originated in 1973 as a national case study allowing PRSSA members to exercise the analytical skills required for public relations problem-solving. The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is the foremost organization for students interested in public relations and communications. Founded in 1968 by its parent organization, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), PRSSA includes nearly 9,000 student members and advisers, and is active on nearly 375 colleges and university campuses, including in Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Puerto Rico. 

About the School of Communication and Media

Founded in 2012, the School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of over 1,300.  Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, communication and media studies, and an MA in public and organizational relations, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper, Hawk Communications PR Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism.  In addition to this PRSSA award, recent national School recognition includes an Edward R Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

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