News & Media

Why is teaching news literacy to young people important?

• Many Americans are just now beginning to use the internet and understand how it works.

• Many Americans have a hard time recognizing what is real news and what is fake news.

• Many Americans only use the internet for social media or entertainment reasons.

• Many Americans are not sure how to use the internet to find news sources.

What is false equivalence?

• When two things are equal, but journalists lie and say they aren't.

• When two things are equally negative.

• When two things are NOT equal, but someone says they are.

Which of the following examples is an example of a "false equivalency" in news reporting?

• Three angry protestors stand in front of an event that thousands of people attend. A journalist gives equal time to reporting the views of the three protestors as the thousands at the event.

• A journalist invites two political leaders onto her television show to debate a hot topic. Both political leaders are given a chance to respond to her questions.

• Hundreds of protestors from many walks of life gather together with signs and block traffic. A journalist interviews several different protestors to hear their points of view.

• Scientists and government officials have done research that shows a certain activity is not safe. Journalists share this information but do not share that some were upset by the findings.

The more time we spend online, the more of our personal data is collected.

This personal data collection can hurt news literacy because...

• the data could be old and does not adapt to a person's changing interests and views.

• the data can be used to create algorithms that expose us to only certain political messages and stories.

• the data could be unreliable and sends news stories to a person who is uninterested in the stories.

• the data can create too many news stories being sent to a person and the person gets overwhelmed.

A Journalist is paid to:

• Create Instagram posts

• Post cooking recipes online

• Travel and investigate issues

• Create a blog post based on their personal opinion

Why does the author recommend we get our news from real news publishers instead of from social media?

• Social media sites harm real news publishers by taking all profits from advertisements.

• Real news sites never have any errors.

• Social media sites share fake news.

• Real news sites are the only place that we can find reports on what is happening in the world.

How do companies like Facebook and Google predict what internet users want to see?

• They look at who your followers and friends are on social media.

• They use algorithms

• They send you a survey via email

Why does the author suggest that algorithms can create "confirmation bias"?

• They make recommendations for what to read or watch next.

• They show us things to what we've already seen, so we might not get a full picture.

• They only promote content that has been paid for by advertisers.

• They always promote fake news and dangerous ideas.

What is a banner ad?

• An ad that is trying to sell banners.

• An ad that is always endorsed by a famous celebrity.

• An ad that matches the look and feel of the other content on the website. It is meant to trick the reader into thinking it is an article produced by the news site they are on.

• An advertisement that stretches across the screen that is meant to get the reader to click on it so they can go to the company's website and make a purchase.

What is a native ad?

• An ad that is always endorsed by a celebrity.

• An ad that promotes that specific website.

• An ad that matches the look and feel of the other content on the website. It is meant to trick the reader into thinking it is an article produced by the news site they are on.

• An advertisement that stretches across the screen that is meant to get the reader to click on it so they can go to the company's website and make a purchase.