First Year Experience and Spartan Studies Students

What is News Literacy?

News literacy, or being news literate, is an important component of Media Literacy.

Media Literacy is a skill that encourages critical thinking when reading or viewing all types of media and provides an understanding of how media shapes our society, past and present. A media literate person will also develop the tools to create responsible media themselves. "Media" is defined as any information that you come across that is designed to communicate something. This can include print and digital publishing, posters, advertisements, non-fiction books, commercials, photography, TV, film, websites, etc.

News Literacy applies media literacy skills to the output of journalists, critics, or anyone reporting on topical issues. News media includes any print or digital mass media that targets an audience. We have always received news from a variety of sources. In the 21st century these can include: discussion, newspapers, propaganda, social media, magazines, memes, blogs, broadcast news on TV or the internet, opinion cites online, listserves, and flyers.

A note on social media: When coming across a bit of news on Reddit, Twitter, etc., look up where the story came from. Who wrote it? Is it from a reputable source? Can you even find the source? A bit of research goes a long way when thinking critically.

Use the infographic below to help assess whether a news source is credible. These five steps will help you think about where your information is coming from and how to determine credibility or possible bias. Created by the News Literacy Project in partnership with SmartNews.

Summary of steps detailed above with examples:

1) Search the newspaper via Wikipedia or the topic via a fact checking website - example 1, example 2, example 3

2) Does the newspaper have a code of ethics? Do reporters ask for commentary from the people being reported on? - example 1, example 2 [from The Guardian]

3) Transparency: Who is the parent company? Who are the authors/journalists? Is there a way to contact them easily? - example 1, example 2

4) Does the newspaper correct past errors, both factual and grammatical? - example (bottom of article)

5) Assess content: - example 1, example 2

Is the article you are reading an op-ed or editorial (opinion pieces) or a news report?  Opinion pieces are not necessarily nonfactual nor do they always exhibit extreme views; is the author an expert in their field and do they back their opinion up with other research?

Who is the author (check the byline)?

Does the journalist cite original statistics or reports?

Read multiple articles from different news sources. Is there a consensus of fact? Is there strong biased language without a balanced perspective?

Watch out for trust busters:

Biased inflammatory language [Wikipedia entry]

State-run media outlet [Wikipedia entry]

Tabloid clickbait [Wikipedia entry]

Download the pdf to access links in the infographic:

Quiz: Is it legit? Vetting news sources for credibility

Take the accompanying quiz after reviewing the infographic. Were you confused or surprised by any of the answers?