In today’s digital age, the ability to discern fact from fiction is more crucial than ever. National News Literacy Week, celebrated from February 3-7, empowers educators, parents, and students to take a stand against misinformation. This week-long initiative provides valuable resources and tools to help individuals critically evaluate news sources, understand the impact of misinformation, and foster a culture of truth and transparency.
Today’s students navigate a more complicated information world than ever before and they often struggle to tell the difference between what is real and what is not. In just one day of online scrolling, they might see:
- Memes: Funny or relatable images, often shared on social media
- Influencer-created videos: Content made by social media personalities to entertain, inform, or promote products
- Sponsored ads and marketing campaigns: Paid promotions designed to look like regular posts or videos
- Partisan opinion pieces: Articles or posts with strong political or personal biases
- Clickbait headlines: Eye-catching titles designed to get clicks, often leading to misleading or low-quality content
- User-generated content: Posts, videos, or comments created by other users, ranging from helpful tips to misinformation
- Satirical or fake news: Stories meant to entertain or deceive by mimicking real news
- Short-form educational content: Informative videos or posts (e.g., “fun facts” or quick how-tos), which may not always be accurate
- Conspiracy theories: Claims that lack evidence but are presented as truths
- Algorithm-curated feeds: Personalized recommendations that amplify certain types of content based on past activity
With news/media literacy education, students can learn to figure out which information to trust, believe, share, and use to make decisions, helping them become informed and active members of their community.
What is News Literacy?
News literacy is the ability to determine the credibility of news and other information and recognize the standards of fact-based journalism. It is an essential 21st century skill, central to any media literacy, digital literacy or civics program.
How is news literacy different from media literacy?
Any comprehensive media literacy program must start with news literacy.
- Media literacy generally refers to teaching students how to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and take action using all forms of communication (including entertainment media).
- News literacy is focused on helping students understand the role that credible information and a free press play in their lives and in a robust democracy, and seeks to help them determine the credibility of news and other information.
How can parents and educators engage kids in conversations about news literacy?
- Build their own awareness
- ConnectSafely – Quick Guide to Misinformation & Media Literacy
- ConnectSafely – Parent & Educator Guide to Media Literacy & False Information
- News Literacy Project Report – News Literacy in America: A survey of teen information attitudes, habits and skills (2024)
- Teach news literacy skills
- Common Sense Education Essential News & Media Literacy Skills for Students – Ready-to-teach lessons for 3rd-12th grade students
- “I Share Responsibly” – ConnectSafely Lessons
- Elementary School – In this lesson, students explore the similarities and differences between mistakes and lies and discuss what to do if they see someone share false information.
- Middle School – This lesson gives students strategies for identifying fake news.
- High School – This lesson encourages students to use lateral reading to check the reliability of sources.
- Model good habits
- Have a healthy level of skepticism when reading news online – always check the source.
- Don’t spread information if you do not know the source or reliability of the information.
- Be mindful of news bias.
- Use a fact checker app or website if you are unsure how to tell if news is accurate or not.
- Give kids a chance to try out their skills
- Reality River – Don’t Fall for Fake – This activity is part of Google’s Be Internet Awesome Interland game.
- Spot the Troll (7th – 12th grade) – This activity from the Clemson University Media Forensics Hub teaches teens how to spot fake accounts on social media.
By cultivating news literacy skills in young people, we empower them to navigate the complexities of the digital age with confidence. By fostering critical thinking and a healthy skepticism towards information, we equip them to become informed citizens who can identify and resist misinformation, making sound decisions, and contributing positively to society. We hope you take the time to explore some of the resources we highlighted to get conversations started with your kids and students.