Fake News and Digital, Media & News Literacy

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Resources for Spotting Fake News, Digital Literacy, Media Literacy, and News Literacy

Visit these resources to learn more about how to spot fake news and how to improve your news, digital, and media literacy skills. 

 

Definitions:

NEWS LITERACY: the ability to determine the credibility of news and other information and to recognize the standards of fact-based journalism to know what to trust, share, and act on.

FAKE NEWS: Fake news is false or misleading information presented as news. Fake news often has the aim of damaging the reputation of a person or entity, or making money through advertising revenue.

MEDIA LITERACY:  the ability to critically analyze stories presented in the mass media to determine their accuracy or credibility.

DIGITAL LITERACY: Digital literacy is having the skills you need to live, learn, and work in a society where communication and access to information is done increasingly through digital technologies like internet platforms, social media, and mobile devices.

 

Resources:

News Literacy Project: The News Literacy Project is a non-partisan education non-profit building a national movement to create a more news-literate America. Includes tips, tools, and quizzes.  Plus a podcast and a mobile app for your smart devices. 

NewseumED NewseumED.org offers free resources to cultivate the First Amendment and media literacy skills essential to civic life. Learn how to authenticate, analyze and evaluate information from a variety of sources and put current events in historical context through standards-aligned lesson plans, videos, primary sources, virtual classes and programs.

Think, Check, Submit:  Through a range of tools and practical resources, this international, cross-sector initiative aims to education researchers, promote integrity, and build trust in credible research and publications.

NAMLE: The National Association for Media Literacy Education unites a community of educators who provide resources to help people of all ages develop the vital skills of media literacy.

 

Fact Checking:

There are several sites available to the public to use to fact check news stories and other information published in the media.  Download the list of the Top 5 Fact Checking sites here, or visit them using the links below. 

SNOPES:  Snopes.com investigates all types of information online, including urban legends, myths, and rumors.
 

POLITIFACT: Politifact.com use the Truth-O-Meter to evaluate statements made by elected officials, political candidates, activists, and more.
 

FACTCHECK.ORG: Factcheck.org seeks to combine aspects of both journalism and scholarship to provide accurate information to media consumers.

WASHINGTON POST FACT CHECKER:  Journalist Glen Kessler responds to news articles and questions from the public and rates statements on a scale of one to four “Pinocchios”.