Accessing and using media is a fundamental skill for youth today and so is the ability to analyze and evaluate that media critically. Strong media literacy skills allow kids to properly interpret the information they find, especially on the internet.
Become An Info Investigator
The music, TV and other media we consume influence how we see the world. To be informed consumers, kids need to develop media literacy skills. These skills include observation, research, and critical thinking. Libraries are great places to find reliable sources of information and learn to use them.
Fact-checking: snopes.com
Reverse Image Search: tineye.com (A digital investigative technique used to find the original source of photographs.)
Lateral Reading: Verifying information as you read it. This can be done by leaving the website and looking at other sites to make sure the original source is reliable and authentic.
Critical Observation: Using critical thinking to look more carefully at images and think about where those images were taken
Geolocation: Verifying the location of online information
Misinformation: Information that is inadvertently incorrect and not intended to mislead people.
Disinformation: Information and the distribution of information that is deliberately incorrect or deceptive with the intention of spreading a false message.
Propaganda: Information with an agenda. Its intention is to persuade and will often contain an unnecessary positive spin.
Fake News: A term used to refer to information that is intentionally false. This term has been politicized to refer to information that one does not agree with, regardless of the validity of the information.
Media Literacy resources from the Digital Library