Episode 2

full
Published on:

2nd Aug 2021

101: "My first piece of advice is to not rely on social media to be your main form of news consumption." Media literacy with Kara Handley

101: "My first piece of advice is to not rely on social media to be your main form of news consumption." Media literacy with Kara Handley

AD Navy Public Affairs Officer, Navy Spouse, and San Diego State University Graduate Student Kara Handley shares her knowledge and experiences with media literacy, and why education in this space is so important for children, service members, and their families especially with the social dilemma that most of us are experiencing.

Connect with Kara on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-handley-apr-m-35974788/

Episode Highlights:

  • What is media literacy education and its importance
  • Resources available to parents to get media literacy education
  • Why did it take so long for us to finally start with media literacy education?
  • The immediate call to actions for our military families
  • Common mistakes that people do without a critical understanding of media literacy

Key Points:

  • Media literacy is the ability to access and analyze media messages to drill down and know what the intent is. 
  • The biggest suggestion to tackle the social dilemma that we are facing is to educate children and adults with media literacy. 
  • Do not rely on your social media feed to be your main form of news consumption. Fact-check the information from verified news sources and make sure to get different opinions. 

Media Literacy Resources

  1. International Research and Exchanges Board Resources - The International Research & Exchanges Board is an international, nonprofit organization that specializes in global education and development. https://www.irex.org/
  2. National Association for Media Literacy Education - the leading nonprofit membership organization dedicated to advancing media literacy education in the United States. https://namle.net/
  3. News Literacy Project - The News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan national education nonprofit, provides programs and resources for educators and the public to teach, learn and share the abilities needed to be smart, active consumers of news and information and equal and engaged participants in a democracy. https://newslit.org/
  4. Checkology -- free online learning platform for news literacy. https://get.checkology.org/
  5. Get Smart Newsletter -- provides and debunks current examples of misinformation https://newslit.org/get-smart-newsletters/
  6. Informable - free media literacy skills-based gaming app https://informable.newslit.org/
  7. Is That a Fact? Podcast -- News Literacy Project’s podcast https://newslit.org/podcast/
  8. Media Literacy Now - Media Literacy Now is leading the grassroots movement to create a public education system that ensures all students learn the 21st-century literacy skills they need for health, well-being, economic participation, and citizenship. This advocacy group focuses more on K-12 education legislation but their resource page has a ton of great information and modules. https://medialiteracynow.org/

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The World’s Largest Podcast Conference RETURNS! Join Jen Amos, in person or online, as she speaks at Podcast Movement on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. (EDT). Register today at https://2021.podcastmovement.com/

Join Vets2Industry on Saturday, August 7, 2021 from 2 PM - 5:00 PM (EDT) as we bring military spouses the needed connections to resources, employment, and networking for their career goals. Meet our Keynote speaker as we celebrate New Beginnings...PCSing, new jobs, new school year...you name it! Register for FREE at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-vets2industry-milspouse-networking-mixer-registration-163138484599

Military spouses are not just looking for a job—they are looking for a calling. Join us for this webinar so you can learn how to start a business, become self-employed, and maximize your military financial benefits. All attendees will get a free toolkit. Scott Tucker and Jen Amos from US VetWealth will present a new and useful toolkit for military spouses who are seeking agile and purposeful employment on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at 12:00 PM (EDT). Register for FREE at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/military-spouses-toolkit-for-agile-and-purposeful-employment-tickets-164542684599

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Visit our website https://www.holdingdownthefortpodcast.com/

Connect with our co-hosts Jen Amos jen@holdingdownthefortpodcast.com and Jenny Lynne Stroup https://jennylynnestroup.com/ or jennylynnestroup379@gmail.com

Sponsored by US VetWealth - Protect and Leverage Your Wealth with The War Chest Strategy™. Schedule your FREE consultation call today at https://usvetwealth.com/war-chest-strategy/

November 2020, Jen Amos and Holding Down the Fort Podcast was awarded “Media Professional of the Year” at The Rosie Network Entrepreneur Awards! We've also been featured in multiple media outlets including Legacy Magazine, U.S. Veterans Magazine, The American MilSpouse, VeteranCrowd Network, It's a Military Life, VirtForce, Military Veteran Dad Podcast, and much more.

Enjoy our show? Kindly leave us a review on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/30SJ7NW, Podchaser https://bit.ly/3dnCacY, or write a LinkedIn Recommendation for Jen https://bit.ly/3jNobzB

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About the Podcast

Holding Down the Fort by US VetWealth
Do you want to do more than “follow orders,” think outside of the box, and manifest your dreams? Then you’ve come to the right show! The award-winning podcast, Holding Down the Fort by US VetWealth, is returning for Season 8 to highlight motivational stories of personal growth, financial awareness, and autonomy in our military community. The show is hosted by Jen Amos, a Gold Star daughter, Veteran Spouse, and Entrepreneur.

Access our FREE PORTAL for bonus content: https://holdingdownthefortpodcast.com/portal

The show is excited to continue its partnership with The Rosie Network, which will include featuring the stories of Service2CEO Cohort Members. Read more about this exciting partnership at https://issuu.com/therosienetwork/docs/me_mag_2023/16

We're also excited to showcase US VetWealth's partnership with Blue Water Advisors, which will feature conversations with Scott R. Tucker and Mike Wallace about career progression for military retirees seeking employment in post-military. Watch "Take A Knee" Tuesdays Live at https://holdingdownthefortpodcast.com/bwa

Our main sponsor US VetWealth is proud to offer a FREE Retiree Appraisal to help military retirees make a confident and informed decision on the Survivor Benefit Plan and Thrift Savings Plan. Get a comprehensive understanding and financial valuation of your time in service today by visiting: https://usvetwealth.com/usvw-appraisal/

Stay connected and get the latest updates from our Holding Down the Fort by US VetWealth community by subscribing to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gTTOdT Questions? Email jen@holdingdownthefortpodcast.com

In the Fall of 2023, Jen Amos was sought after by InDependent to co-host the 8th annual InDependent Wellness Summit™. In August 2022, Jen Amos' work on the podcast was recognized by Disney Institute and she was hand-selected as the only non-Disney employee to moderate the first Military Spouse Employment panel for the Veterans Institute Summit. March 2022, former co-host Jenny Lynne has voted the 2022 Naval Station Norfolk Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year. November 2020, Jen Amos was awarded “Media Professional of the Year” at The Rosie Network Entrepreneur Awards! The show continued to collect award nominations in the following years. In September 2021, the show made the Final Slate in the 16th Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards for the Government & Organizations category. In November 2021, the show was an Award Finalist for the 5th Annual National Veteran & Military Spouse Entrepreneur Awards. December 2021, the show was a Golden Crane Podcast Awards Nominee. September 2022, the show was a Finalist for the 13th Annual Plutus Awards presented by Capital Group for “Best Military Personal Finance Content.”

Holding Down the Fort has also been featured in multiple media outlets including Military Entrepreneur (M.E.) Magazine, MOAA’s Never Stop Learning Podcast, The Leadership Void Podcast, Lessons Learned for Vets Podcast, Sisters in Service Podcast, Get 2 Vet, Blue Star Families of Dayton & Southwestern Ohio, Legacy Magazine, U.S. Veterans Magazine, The American MilSpouse, VeteranCrowd Network, It's a Military Life, VirtForce, Military Veteran Dad Podcast, and much more.

Here’s what our listeners have to say about our 5-star rated show:

"This podcast is a must-listen for military families everywhere. Each of Jen and Jenny Lynne’s conversations with guests reveals is heartfelt and insightful—highly recommend!" - Maddie 

"Funny, thought-provoking, challenging status quo and ruthlessly supporting their communities— Jen & Jenny Lynne are a delight to listen to and to interact with." - emillmanrn 

"Jen and Jenny Lynne create thought-provoking conversations for their military spouse audience. It’s like sitting down for coffee with two great friends who want to know how you really are and provide the kind of help that’s actually helpful. Looking forward to this podcast being around for a long time!" - Lam978 
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About your host

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Jen Amos

As the co-owner of US VetWealth (i.e. Scott R. Tucker’s “better half”), I assist in creating educational content for military retirees seeking alternative options to the Survivor Benefit Plan and privatized financial strategies for your military retirement.

From growing up in a military family to becoming a Gold Star family member at 10 years old, I have first-hand experience with how a sudden transition to civilian life can impact a family emotionally and financially. 20+ years removed from military life, I started the podcast show Holding Down the Fort by US VetWealth in the summer of 2019 to get a pulse on the community today. I’ve come to find that our families still face similar issues that I faced in my childhood. It’s become a sense of responsibility to do my part in validating the stories and struggles of career military families. By the fall of 2020, I had been awarded Media Professional of the Year by The Rosie Networks' National Veteran and Military Spouse Entrepreneur Awards. Since then, the show has received five more award nominations and has been recognized by multiple media outlets, including the Disney Institute’s Veterans Insititute.

While the show is off-season, I focus most of my time building out US VetWealth’s Military Retirement Blueprint — the only resource for military retirees to learn about SBP alternatives and privatized financial strategies. Contrary to popular belief, retiring military officers and senior NCOs are, what we consider, high-income earners. Our FREE resource provides guides, courses, live training, consulting, and an ever-growing list of content for you to learn about your untapped potential and opportunities for post-military life. Access our free resource now by visiting https://militaryretirementblueprint.com/

You can read more about Jen Amos' work in the Summer 2023 Military Entrepreneur Magazine by The Rosie Network (Pg. 16).