Speaking Engagements

Speaking Requests

Vanessa Otero is the founder and CEO of Ad Fontes Media and the creator of the Media Bias Chart®. She is an experienced public speaker who enjoys delivering talks about news literacy and the importance of recognizing bias and reliability in the news we consume every day.

If you would like to request an interview or invite Vanessa to speak at your campus, event, or conference, please submit a request form.
Vanessa is available for one-on-one interviews, podcasts, panel discussions, and lectures to speak with audiences about a range of topics relating to news literacy. These topics include, but are not limited to:
  • News literacy as a skill: What is it, and why do we need it?
  • Junk news is like junk food: Maintaining a healthy news diet
  • The importance of news literacy in an era of hyperpolarized media
  • Bias and reliability: Why it is helpful to frame the discussion about news literacy in two dimensions
  • The methodology of analyzing news content: Measuring bias and reliability
  • Using the Media Bias Chart to teach news literacy for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners

KUNC & NPR Town Hall: Vanessa Otero speaks with NPR Public Editor Elizabeth Jensen and KUNC Colorado Edition Host Erin O’Toole

Request a speaking engagement:

Previous speaking engagements:

Customer reviews

Kimberly Huffman:
Vanessa’s session was transformative. She was engaging, humorous, and personable, making complex ideas about media bias easy to understand and apply. The Media Bias Chart makes bias and reliability visible and accessible for students, helping them move beyond labels to think critically about evidence, perspective, and credibility in today’s media landscape.
Jenessa J:
Honestly, that was one of the best educational zoom calls I have been on. I will definitely be using all of those resources in my classroom. It is such a practical tool and perfect for when my students have to do current events.
Marla B. Nunn:
Vanessa Otero gave a clear presentation on how to understand media bias. It changed the way I consume news, and how I teach media literacy to my students. Her approach provides a guide for sorting through the onslaught of information from the media.
Will Moon:
Vanessa Otero is a gifted speaker and a thoughtful intellectual. Her presentation on the Media Bias Chart was eye-opening, and her framework enables both scholars and policymakers alike to devise plans to deal with unreliable news sources that are all too pervasive in today's society.
Sid Jordan:
Vanessa's Media Bias Chart has significantly greater impact when explained in her compelling presentation. A must-see in a time of such great political divide and a desperate need for critical thinking when interpreting the news.
Sumita Bhandari
Vanessa Otero brings clarity and insight to the complex world of media bias, explaining how Ad Fontes uses news analysts and helping us understand how information and news sources shape perception and public dialogue. Vanessa has an engaging and comfortable style, data-driven approach, and balanced perspective. Her presentation always sparks meaningful conversation among our participants.
Kimberly Huffman:
Vanessa’s session was transformative. She was engaging, humorous, and personable, making complex ideas about media bias easy to understand and apply. The Media Bias Chart makes bias and reliability visible and accessible for students, helping them move beyond labels to think critically about evidence, perspective, and credibility in today’s media landscape.
Jenessa J:
Honestly, that was one of the best educational zoom calls I have been on. I will definitely be using all of those resources in my classroom. It is such a practical tool and perfect for when my students have to do current events.
Marla B. Nunn:
Vanessa Otero gave a clear presentation on how to understand media bias. It changed the way I consume news, and how I teach media literacy to my students. Her approach provides a guide for sorting through the onslaught of information from the media.
Will Moon:
Vanessa Otero is a gifted speaker and a thoughtful intellectual. Her presentation on the Media Bias Chart was eye-opening, and her framework enables both scholars and policymakers alike to devise plans to deal with unreliable news sources that are all too pervasive in today's society.
Sid Jordan:
Vanessa's Media Bias Chart has significantly greater impact when explained in her compelling presentation. A must-see in a time of such great political divide and a desperate need for critical thinking when interpreting the news.
Sumita Bhandari
Vanessa Otero brings clarity and insight to the complex world of media bias, explaining how Ad Fontes uses news analysts and helping us understand how information and news sources shape perception and public dialogue. Vanessa has an engaging and comfortable style, data-driven approach, and balanced perspective. Her presentation always sparks meaningful conversation among our participants.
Kimberly Huffman:
Vanessa’s session was transformative. She was engaging, humorous, and personable, making complex ideas about media bias easy to understand and apply. The Media Bias Chart makes bias and reliability visible and accessible for students, helping them move beyond labels to think critically about evidence, perspective, and credibility in today’s media landscape.
Jenessa J:
Honestly, that was one of the best educational zoom calls I have been on. I will definitely be using all of those resources in my classroom. It is such a practical tool and perfect for when my students have to do current events.
Marla B. Nunn:
Vanessa Otero gave a clear presentation on how to understand media bias. It changed the way I consume news, and how I teach media literacy to my students. Her approach provides a guide for sorting through the onslaught of information from the media.
Will Moon:
Vanessa Otero is a gifted speaker and a thoughtful intellectual. Her presentation on the Media Bias Chart was eye-opening, and her framework enables both scholars and policymakers alike to devise plans to deal with unreliable news sources that are all too pervasive in today's society.
Sid Jordan:
Vanessa's Media Bias Chart has significantly greater impact when explained in her compelling presentation. A must-see in a time of such great political divide and a desperate need for critical thinking when interpreting the news.
Sumita Bhandari
Vanessa Otero brings clarity and insight to the complex world of media bias, explaining how Ad Fontes uses news analysts and helping us understand how information and news sources shape perception and public dialogue. Vanessa has an engaging and comfortable style, data-driven approach, and balanced perspective. Her presentation always sparks meaningful conversation among our participants.
Kimberly Huffman:
Vanessa’s session was transformative. She was engaging, humorous, and personable, making complex ideas about media bias easy to understand and apply. The Media Bias Chart makes bias and reliability visible and accessible for students, helping them move beyond labels to think critically about evidence, perspective, and credibility in today’s media landscape.
Jenessa J:
Honestly, that was one of the best educational zoom calls I have been on. I will definitely be using all of those resources in my classroom. It is such a practical tool and perfect for when my students have to do current events.
Marla B. Nunn:
Vanessa Otero gave a clear presentation on how to understand media bias. It changed the way I consume news, and how I teach media literacy to my students. Her approach provides a guide for sorting through the onslaught of information from the media.
Will Moon:
Vanessa Otero is a gifted speaker and a thoughtful intellectual. Her presentation on the Media Bias Chart was eye-opening, and her framework enables both scholars and policymakers alike to devise plans to deal with unreliable news sources that are all too pervasive in today's society.
Sid Jordan:
Vanessa's Media Bias Chart has significantly greater impact when explained in her compelling presentation. A must-see in a time of such great political divide and a desperate need for critical thinking when interpreting the news.
Sumita Bhandari
Vanessa Otero brings clarity and insight to the complex world of media bias, explaining how Ad Fontes uses news analysts and helping us understand how information and news sources shape perception and public dialogue. Vanessa has an engaging and comfortable style, data-driven approach, and balanced perspective. Her presentation always sparks meaningful conversation among our participants.
Kimberly Huffman:
Vanessa’s session was transformative. She was engaging, humorous, and personable, making complex ideas about media bias easy to understand and apply. The Media Bias Chart makes bias and reliability visible and accessible for students, helping them move beyond labels to think critically about evidence, perspective, and credibility in today’s media landscape.
Jenessa J:
Honestly, that was one of the best educational zoom calls I have been on. I will definitely be using all of those resources in my classroom. It is such a practical tool and perfect for when my students have to do current events.
Marla B. Nunn:
Vanessa Otero gave a clear presentation on how to understand media bias. It changed the way I consume news, and how I teach media literacy to my students. Her approach provides a guide for sorting through the onslaught of information from the media.
Will Moon:
Vanessa Otero is a gifted speaker and a thoughtful intellectual. Her presentation on the Media Bias Chart was eye-opening, and her framework enables both scholars and policymakers alike to devise plans to deal with unreliable news sources that are all too pervasive in today's society.
Sid Jordan:
Vanessa's Media Bias Chart has significantly greater impact when explained in her compelling presentation. A must-see in a time of such great political divide and a desperate need for critical thinking when interpreting the news.
Sumita Bhandari
Vanessa Otero brings clarity and insight to the complex world of media bias, explaining how Ad Fontes uses news analysts and helping us understand how information and news sources shape perception and public dialogue. Vanessa has an engaging and comfortable style, data-driven approach, and balanced perspective. Her presentation always sparks meaningful conversation among our participants.
Kimberly Huffman:
Vanessa’s session was transformative. She was engaging, humorous, and personable, making complex ideas about media bias easy to understand and apply. The Media Bias Chart makes bias and reliability visible and accessible for students, helping them move beyond labels to think critically about evidence, perspective, and credibility in today’s media landscape.
Jenessa J:
Honestly, that was one of the best educational zoom calls I have been on. I will definitely be using all of those resources in my classroom. It is such a practical tool and perfect for when my students have to do current events.
Marla B. Nunn:
Vanessa Otero gave a clear presentation on how to understand media bias. It changed the way I consume news, and how I teach media literacy to my students. Her approach provides a guide for sorting through the onslaught of information from the media.
Will Moon:
Vanessa Otero is a gifted speaker and a thoughtful intellectual. Her presentation on the Media Bias Chart was eye-opening, and her framework enables both scholars and policymakers alike to devise plans to deal with unreliable news sources that are all too pervasive in today's society.
Sid Jordan:
Vanessa's Media Bias Chart has significantly greater impact when explained in her compelling presentation. A must-see in a time of such great political divide and a desperate need for critical thinking when interpreting the news.
Sumita Bhandari
Vanessa Otero brings clarity and insight to the complex world of media bias, explaining how Ad Fontes uses news analysts and helping us understand how information and news sources shape perception and public dialogue. Vanessa has an engaging and comfortable style, data-driven approach, and balanced perspective. Her presentation always sparks meaningful conversation among our participants.
"Vanessa Otero is a gifted speaker and a thoughtful intellectual. Her presentation on the Media Bias Chart at the University of Maryland School of Law was eye-opening, and her framework enables both scholars and policymakers alike to devise plans to deal with unreliable news sources that are all too pervasive in today's society."
Will Moon, Assistant Professor of Law
University of Maryland Carey School of Law
"Vanessa’s Media Bias Chart has significantly greater impact when explained in her compelling presentation. A must see in a time of such great political divide and a desperate need for critical thinking when interpreting the news."
Sid Jordan, Co-Chair Rotary Peace Scholar and Leadership Conference
Rotary District 6600