Evaluating Online Information

A 4 minute video outlining media literacy strategies.
If we want to be informed, responsible citizens, it's not enough to read the news. We need to be critical to make sure that what we read is accurate, transparent, and impartial. To do that, we must look beyond 24-hour TV news.
But in an era when anyone can create a website, call it news and print whatever they want. Evaluating what is real and what is fake is essential. For all students to be active participants in the world that understanding of the world and the actions they take should always be based on truth.

23 minutes
Fake news is more than a social media menace—it’s threatening critical thinking skills needed to develop information literacy. Combined with the impulse to share exciting, shocking and alarming stories, fake news is shaping—and distorting—perceptions, especially in younger demographics. In this video, viewers learn what drives fake news, how to spot it and how to de-bunk it. They’ll see how to distinguish between bias and accuracy, and opinion from fact. Vignettes that mimic online feeds and searches show how to detect completely false stories, slanted information, pure propaganda and misused data.

23 minutes
Fake news is prevalent because it seems so real. But passing it along via social media is more than sharing. It lends credibility to untrustworthy sources. By explaining click baits, bias and information bubbles, this video helps viewers discern what’s real and what’s not. Startling examples of altered photos reveal the skills employed by fake newsmongers. Cross-referencing to determine objective news sources and sites is explained along with reverse image search and expert confirmation. This video will assist viewers in getting past the hype of fake news to discover the real story.

Chart illustrating media source bias on a political left-right spectrum and a news value and reliability spectrum. From ad fontes media (.com)