PDSS Speaker Vanessa Otero
Vanessa Otero, the CEO and Founder of Ad Fontes Media and the creator of the Media Bias Chart, visited campus and interacted with students Sept. 19-20, 2023, as part of the President's Distinguished Speaker Series.
Sponsored by the Rhetoric Department and the President’s Distinguished Speaker Series, Vanessa Otero’s lecture on Sept. 19, 2023, focused on media literacy and navigating the various media sources in our world today.
Otero was introduced by Wabash Student Body President Cole Bergman ’24.
As Otero told Wabash students, all news is biased. It’s not the bias that is the problem, it’s the not knowing what the bias of your source is.
“I’m going to talk a lot tonight about how media content can divide and polarize us,” Otero said. “I’m going to invite you also to take a look at the kind of rhetoric that does mislead and polarize us, and see what you can do to rise up above it, develop the skills to make those connections because the more connected we are as fellow citizens, the better our society can become as a whole.”
Otero was interactive with the crowd, and asked students, faculty, and staff to raise their hand if: they visit at least one actual news website or app every day and if they visit two or more; they actually watch a TV news program every day; they listen to at least one podcast every day; and they get their news from sources like YouTube. The questions were designed to force the audience to think about where they get their news and the diversity of sources they engage with.
“At most people are consuming around 85 different types of content per day,” Otero said. “And usually, you’re consuming stuff you like, right? It’s stuff that you agree with, stuff similar to each other. You don’t typically consume news content that you hate. … The content that comes into your head directly affects how you think and how you act.”
Wabash President Scott Feller and First Lady Wendy were very interested in Otero’s points about media literacy.
Otero gave tips on how to navigate the news and engage with people who may have different viewpoints. “Be kind. When you are facing someone about a topic that is difficult and you don’t agree with their point, don’t start the conversation with ‘You’re stupid and wrong,’” she said. “Being kind usually involves asking questions, getting specific, and finding out exactly where somebody got their information.”
“Look things up together and be willing to learn something new,” Otero continued with her tips. “It can be uncomfortable, but it’s a great exercise.”
Students asked many questions during the Q&A session with Otero.
Otero visited Professor Jeff Drury's RHE 270 class, Misinformation in a Social Media Age, on Sept. 20 to discuss media bias and her media bias chart. Here, Drury (left) and Otero share a laugh before class begins.
The students were engaged and came with plenty of questions.
"The news landscape is complex, but they have the tools to discern it for themselves," she told the students.
She said of campus visits, especially to classrooms, "It's really helpful for me because I get to see what educators deal with on the frontlines every day. This is new--having tens of thousandss of sources--it is a relatively new phenomenon. I appreciated their questions. It's really helpful to come into college classes to see the generational differences."
"There are folks of all ages who struggle with media literacy," she said. "It's a different challenge for somebody who is in their 70s, compared with someone who grew up with all the different types of, the handfuls of channels. The older among us at times will just take anything that they see on TV as credible, versus a generation now that grew up with so many more channels at their disposal. With screens and access to unlimited information, it gives me a lot of hope for the future to see the discernment and the skepticism that young people display."
Otero said, "This touches everybody's lives. I always get lots of questions. These questions are particularly insightful. They are interested in how the news landscape has changed over time."
"It just shows that students are really thoughtful," she continued. "The men, and Wabash in general, have been exceptionally thoughtful about this topic. It's really gratifying to hear that."
She founded Ad Fontes Media in 2018 wth a goal to rate the news and make a positive impact on society.
As the media bias chart has grown in influence, much to to hard work and a steady focus. she said, " It goes to show that you don't have to necessarily have a particular background to make change and lead in a space. I am a thought leader in this now, because I've spent so much time over the last seven years, really deeply dissecting and studying this issue."
"I read write content with my analysts every week," she said of the ongoing efforts."How I train our analysts has evolved. When you think deeply about a subject for a long period of time, you can develop an expertise."
Studnets were very attentive.
Much of the class session was question and answer, since the students were very interested.
Nearly every student offered at least one question for Ms. Otero.
Plenty of active listening was on display.
Ad Fontes is Latin for “to the source,” because, according ot the company biography, that is the key goal: look at the source—analyze the very content itself—and rate it.
Students asked about specific examples, posed questions about how the bias chart functions, and were interested in how opinions change over time.
They were interested in potential local media bias and how that may compare with regional or national outlets.
Otero talked through the importance of time. Many local media outlets don;t have the time to tell stories in the same way as national media, so how that covrage is presented is vastly different.
If the studnts weren't asking questions, they were taking notes.
The level of detail shared with the students was impressive.
"I don't know if I've spent 10,000 hours yet," she laughed, "but we're probably getting pretty close."
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.
Otero’s visit on campus included a lunch and Q&A with editors and staff members of The Bachelor, Wabash’s student newspaper since 1908. She talked about the creation of the Media Bias Chart, how bias impacts journalism, and provided the student-journalists with tips on how they can improve their own reporting.