Media Literacy

More than ever, media literacy is crucial to being an informed citizen.  Media content bombards us from every angle.  Much of this content is biased, unreliable, and outright false.  A media literate citizen views media with a critical eye and is able to discern fact from fiction.  The resources on this web page will help you become a more savvy consumer of media content and a stronger digital citizen.

Media Literacy resources

• Media Literacy Clearinghouse - Frank Baker
• News and Media Literacy - a collection of resources by PBS LearningMedia
• Digital Citizenship Curriculum - Common Sense Education
• DigCitUtah - resources from the state of Utah on a number of issues surrounding digital citizenship
• CrashCourse: Navigating Digital Information - YouTube series by John Green
• Media Literacy Resources - Newseum
• Digital Citizenship classroom resources - TeachersFirst
• Five Free, Ready-to-Use Digital Resources for PK-12 Lessons - Texas Computer Education Association

Fake News

Given the sheer volume of news available, how can the average person separate fact from fiction? The video below draws from common sense, critical thinking skills, and universal standards of journalism to give viewers the tools to discern fact from fiction in news reports, identify fake news, and evaluate the biases of real news.

• Guide to Finding Facts & Fakes - tip sheet provided by Connecticut Public Television
• Manipulated Media - information by Reuters on how to identify altered media
• How to fight lies, tricks, and chaos online - The Verge
• Fake News, Propaganda, and Disinformation: Learning to Critically Evaluate Media Sources (Cornell University)
• Ten ways to spot a fake news article (EasyBib)

Evaluating News

• The Difference Between News and Opinion (Wall Street Journal)
• Key questions for media analysis - (Project Look Sharp)
• Evaluating News Stories (Manhattanville College Library)
• Evaluating News: "Fake News" and Beyond (research guide from the College of Saint Benedict)

Evaluating Videos

• How to evaluate videos for authenticity and reliability:  Tufts LibGuides
• How to evaluate a video: Tips for finding quality information (Jean Burr Smith Library)
• Evaluating videos (Stanford University)

Evaluating Websites

When conducting research, you should always check with academic databases first.  Academic databases, such as Gale and INFOhio, contain vetted, peer-reviewed articles that can be trusted.  Sometimes, however, you need to venture onto the Worldwide Web to research highly specific topics.  The resources below show you how to evaluate websites to determine if they contain reliable information.

• How to read a web address - by Alan November
• CRAAP Test for website evaluation - Daytona State
• SIFT (The Four Moves) - Mike Caulfield