One Weapon Against Fake News: More Media Literate Consumers!

By Laurie Trotta Valenti, PhD
Last fall, a study from Stanford University found that many teenagers had trouble understanding what was and was not accurate or reliable information online. An earlier CDC study found that ½ of Americans thought medical information on fictional TV shows was accurate… while ¼ said television was a primary source of health information. In our world of fake news and questionable data sources, there is a sane, thoughtful and urgent solution that I want to shout from the rooftops. Here it is: We need to CULTIVATE MEDIA LITERACY!!!  

What’s media literacy? Sadly, not everyone is familiar with the term. Media literacy teaches us to critique media as we would any form of data. It urges us to be active, as opposed to passive consumers, using our analytical skills to consider the commercial, social and cultural messages embedded in, say, your favorite sit-com or Facebook post. What techniques did a filmmaker use to manipulate you into crying or feeling terrified over that last scene? What subtle messages about race, class and world view were hidden? These are questions that are helpful to ask  as we face bogus news sources, inaccurate information or stereotypical depictions onscreen.  
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Media literacy does not promote censorship, but informed viewership. Its tenets include fostering digital citizenship; they imply a knowledge of and some mastery of media creation. Thus, in a utopian media literate society, all consumers of media would be aware of its manipulative powers, critical of what they view, and empowered to be contributing members of the media landscape.  

At the Media Impact Project, one facet of our mission is to measure the effects of media on consumers. The pedagogical field of Media Literacy is a relatively new one, and although some studies have attempted to measure the success of student learning, much more evaluation work needs to be done.  A study I conducted with students at Arizona State University revealed that 50% of film production students who took a class on social issues in entertainment felt the course changed their thinking about media violence, and an astounding more than 90% said the course introduced concepts they would use throughout their media careers. Other studies indicate that just one media literacy course can open new levels of criticality surrounding media.                       

The National Association of Media Literacy Educators, or NAMLE, is sponsoring the 3rd Annual Media Literacy Week November 6-10, a time when educators across the country spotlight these concepts through a series of events. I urge you to consider participating. Enjoy some entertainment and then take some time to look under the hood at the influences that drive your own favorite show, or your children’s favorite shows… and then, if the spirit moves you,  work within your own communities to foster a media literate approach to all you consume.
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www.medialiteracyweek.us
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