It’s important to build media literacy skills to discern fact from fiction. Below are tips and resources to help you feel more confident in the information you’re trusting on the news, and the Internet at large.
What is media literacy?
Media literacy is the ability to use critical thinking skills to evaluate the information received from the news whether on TV, on social media, or anywhere on the Internet. It encourages everyone to think about the purpose and impact of a news story: Why is this reporter/news anchor/influencer telling me this information? And what happens when I share that information with my community?
During election cycles, it is particularly important to be discerning citizens on the information being received, since it can get overwhelming as different hot button issues become a constant presence on the news and on social media feeds. Here are a couple tools that can help you evaluate any topic that comes your way.
Tools
S.I.F.T.
S – Stop! Pause the video or stop reading and engage your critical thinking brain.
I – Investigate the source. Who is telling you this information? What authority do they have on this issue? Do they have a degree on this topic? Do they work in this field? Why should you trust them?
F – Find more coverage. Are they the only ones talking about this issue? What other trustworthy sources are reporting on this topic?
T – Trace the claims.
Are there quotes from a study? Find that study and examine it more thoroughly.
Do they back up their point with a punchy headline? Find that headline and read the article.
Do they use a clip from another video? Find the original video and watch it to make your own decisions.
S.M.A.R.T.
S – Scope: How much depth and detail is there in this source?
M – Motivation: Why does this source want to share this information? To inform and educate? To persuade? To sell something? To entertain you?
A – Authority: Who is sharing this information and what are their credentials?
R – Relevance: Is this about the topic you’re trying to learn about? Does it start about one thing but then suddenly run down a rabbit hole?
T – Timely: Is this information out of date?
Resources
It’s important to always make your own decisions about the information taken in, but it can also be helpful to have trustworthy resources to rely on. Here are a few places that provide unbiased, reliable information on a variety of topics:
This website is one of the best resources for evaluating the truth of viral topics and current events. Supported by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, they evaluate current news stories, political ads and hot button issues in the media. They’re transparent about their review process and funding sources to support users’ media literacy skills.
While Colorado residents have our own publicly supplied election guides, many states do not, and the League of Women Voters supply unbiased facts on candidates, ballot measures and election information at no cost. Their blog also provides information on election issues such as the recent Supreme Court decision on mail-in ballots and the influence of social media on elections.
Explora is a free resource available to all Aurora Public Library cardholders that provides information on a variety of topics from A (artificial intelligence) to Z (Zendaya). Users can get a broad overview of a topic they’re curious about or delve into a pile of articles to empower themselves with information.
For more resources to stay informed, visit
AuroraGov.org/DatabasesandResearch and pick up an election guide at your
local library.