For media literacy, teach that journalism is real, not fake

For media literacy, teach that journalism is real, not fake

News and media literacy groups are calling on Europe to include journalism in media literacy education. Students need to know how to spot news they can trust. A teen points to a site that can be trusted while another gives a different site a thumbs down. Illustration...

Young people engage with the news in its many, diverse forms but they can’t always trust its reliability or may not verify sources. It is vital that young people be able to discern between real news and fake, verified trustworthy sources and polemic, propaganda or clickbait. In this piece, Aralynn Abare McMane talks to news and media literacy groups and explores why they are calling for Europe to include journalism in media literacy education.

Exercise: In order to better understand the wider issues surrounding media literacy, ask students to choose one of the organizations or projects mentioned in the article. They should undertake independent research into what they do. In groups, they can look into their chosen organization or project and prepare a short presentation summarizing what they do and the key issues they address. They should then reflect on why this organization exists, what problem it solves and how its objectives help students like them in the real world.

Living in a closed society

Living in a closed society

Millions in Russia mourn the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny but few do so openly. In Russia, grieving is an act of political defiance. A man holds a poster reading “Freedom for Seva Korolev and all political prisoners” as he comes to pay tribute...

Freelance journalism doesn’t mean free

Freelance journalism doesn’t mean free

When you work on your own, you don’t get a steady paycheck. But if you can find enough work, it isn’t a bad gig in this gig economy. A woman freelances from her kitchen. (Credit: EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA from Pexels)  This article was produced exclusively for...

Journalism