Media Literacy (Education Outreach): Teen Resources

While popularized by President Donald Trump, the term "fake news" actually originated toward the end of the 19th century, in an era of rampant yellow journalism. Since then, it has come to encompass a broad universe of news stories and marketing strategies ranging from outright lies, propaganda, and conspiracy theories to hoaxes, opinion pieces, and satire--all facilitated and manipulated by social media platforms. This title explores journalistic and fact-checking standards, Constitutional protections, and real-world case studies, helping readers identify the mechanics, perpetrators, motives, and psychology of fake news. A final chapter explores methods for assessing and avoiding the spread of fake news.

Although news outlets are meant to be impartial, they have never been perfectly unbiased. After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the term "fake news" became part of everyday vocabulary, adding to the public's mistrust of the media. In today's society, learning how to cultivate media literacy by spotting unreliable sources and biased reporting is crucial. This volume explores the fake news phenomenon and offers readers tips on how to be critical of what they see reported. Full-color photographs, annotated quotes, engaging sidebars, and discussion questions enhance the compelling narrative as it explores this crucial aspect of a democratic society.

Go ahead, buy it. You know you want it....How susceptible are you to tactics of subtle encouragement or even outright manipulation used by media and advertising? Power and Persuasion in Media and Advertising is a critical introduction to how marketing and advertising works to convince consumers to buy products or believe in certain ideas. Readers will learn about persuasion, credible marketing, and how their tastes and opinions are targeted and shaped from an early age.

We live in an era of misinformation, much of it spread by authority figures, including politicians, religious leaders, broadcasters, and, of course, apps and websites. In this second edition, author John Grant uses ripped-from-the-headlines examples to clearly explain how to identify bad evidence and poor arguments. He also points out the rhetorical tricks people use when attempting to pull the wool over our eyes, and offers advice about how to take these unscrupulous pundits down. Updated to include a chapter on fake news, Debunk It serves as a guide to critical thinking for young readers looking to find some clarity in a confusing world.

Opinions can sometimes be disguised as facts, and readers looking only at opinion pieces may develop an incomplete picture of the news topic being discussed. Distinguishing Fact from Opinion examines the line between personal beliefs and facts. It also gives readers tips on how to identify these two things in the media.

As news media has moved past the requirement of using established, trusted sources, and as the cry of "fake news" is used for both false sources and facts that people dislike, it has become more difficult to know what to trust. With this informative book, readers will learn what clues and signs to watch for when reading, watching, or listening to news media. Useful tips will help them figure out when to look deeper on social media. Intriguing facts provide perspective to help them learn more about the role of the free press in society.

Sometimes information that is posted online, printed in papers, and talked about on television isn't true. Identifying Fake News examines why fake information spreads, the dangers it can cause, and how readers can recognize fake news and avoid having their opinions shaped by it.

Everyone has their own opinions, but journalists are supposed to keep theirs out of stories. Their job is to report the news and not push people into thinking a certain way. When stories are slanted toward one side, this is known as media bias. Identifying Media Bias helps readers examine news stories to determine if they are biased toward one viewpoint.

Not every news article has a responsible journalist writing it, and some even try to push readers into thinking a certain way. Legitimate News Sources gives readers tips on how to navigate the seemingly overwhelming amount of news out there and how to find trusted sources whose stories are rooted in facts.

US democracy is experiencing unprecedented challenges. Media Literacy: Information and Disinformation examines function and disfunction in this essential pillar of democracy.

Go ahead, buy it. You know you want it....How susceptible are you to tactics of subtle encouragement or even outright manipulation used by media and advertising? Power and Persuasion in Media and Advertising is a critical introduction to how marketing and advertising works to convince consumers to buy products or believe in certain ideas. Readers will learn about persuasion, credible marketing, and how their tastes and opinions are targeted and shaped from an early age.

"If I could pick one book to hand to every teen--and adult--on earth, this is the one. True or False is accessible, thorough, and searingly honest, and we desperately needed it." --Becky Albertalli, author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda A former CIA analyst unveils the true history of fake news and gives readers tips on how to avoid falling victim to it in this highly designed informative YA nonfiction title. "Fake news" is a term you've probably heard a lot in the last few years, but it's not a new phenomenon. From the ancient Egyptians to the French Revolution to Jack the Ripper and the founding fathers, fake news has been around as long as human civilization. But that doesn't mean that we should just give up on the idea of finding the truth. In True or False, former CIA analyst Cindy Otis will take readers through the history and impact of misinformation over the centuries, sharing stories from the past and insights that readers today can gain from them. Then, she shares lessons learned in over a decade working for the CIA, including actionable tips on how to spot fake news, how to make sense of the information we receive each day, and, perhaps most importantly, how to understand and see past our own information biases, so that we can think critically about important issues and put events happening around us into context. True or False includes a wealth of photo illustrations, informative inserts, and sidebars containing interesting facts and trivia sure to engage readers in critical thinking and analysis. This title has common core connections.

In this timely and relevant title, National Geographic Kids shines a light on the history of news to reveal where we started, how far we've come, and the serious impact that misinterpretation and misinformation can have on the world. Headlines leap out at us from mobile phones, TV screens, computers, newspapers, and everywhere we turn. Technology has opened up exciting new ways to tell interesting stories, but how much of it is news ... and how much is just noise? This refreshing and up-to-date media literacy book gives kids the tools they need to distinguish what is fact from what is fiction so that they can make smart choices about what to believe. Topics cover a broad range, from defining freedom of speech, the journalists' code of ethics, the dangers of propaganda, and the future of news. Packed with profiles of influential journalists, fun facts, and iconic photographs, this ultimate guide to the information age will get kids thinking about their relationship and responsibility to media.

Fake news is a dangerous problem that affects everyone. It can undermine democracies, negatively impact public health, and destroy reputations. How fake news spreads, the problems fake news causes, how to recognize and keep from spreading it are discussed.

From foundations in critical thinking skills to practical tools and real-life perspectives, this book empowers young adult readers to be independent media users. The Media and Me is a joint production of The Censored Press and Triangle Square Books for Young Readers. During the recent presidential election, "media literacy" became a buzzword that signified the threat media manipulation posed to democratic processes. Meanwhile, statistical research has shown that 8 to 18 year-olds pack more than eleven hours with some form of media into each day by "media multitasking." Young people are not only eager and interested to learn about and discuss the realities of media ownership, production, and distribution, they also deserve to understand differential power structures in how media influences our culture. The Media and Me provides readers with the tools and perspectives to be empowered and autonomous media users. The book explores critical inquiry skills to help young people form a multidimensional comprehension of what they read and watch, opportunities to see others like them making change, and insight into their own identity projects. By covering topics like storytelling, building arguments and recognizing fallacies, surveillance and digital gatekeeping, advertising and consumerism, and global social problems through a critical media literacy lens, this book will help students evolve from passive consumers of media to engaged critics and creators.

Two media experts offer a witty, warm, and relatable take on how information pollution affects our online networks--and our well-being--and how to maximize a positive impact. We know that pollution damages our physical environments--but what about the digital landscape? Touching on everything from goat memes gone wrong to conflict in group chats to the sometimes unexpected side effects of online activism, this lively guide to media literacy draws on ecological, social justice, and storytelling frameworks to help readers understand how information pollution spreads and why. It also helps them make sense of the often stressful and strange online world. Featuring a hyperconnected cast of teens and their social-media shenanigans, reader-friendly text tackles the thorny topic of internet ethics while empowering--and inspiring--young readers to weave a safe, secure, and inclusive digital world. Readers are invited to delve further into the subject with the help of comprehensive source notes and a bibliography in the back matter.

From acclaimed writer, journalist, and physician Dr. Seema Yasmin comes a "savvy, accessible, and critical" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) book about the importance of media literacy, fact-based reporting, and the ability to discern truth from lies. What is a fact? What are reliable sources? What is news? What is fake news? How can anyone make sense of it anymore? Well, we have to. As conspiracy theories and online hoaxes increasingly become a part of our national discourse and "truth" itself is being questioned, it has never been more vital to build the discernment necessary to tell fact from fiction, and media literacy has never been more important. In this accessible guide, Dr. Seema Yasmin, an award-winning journalist, scientist, medical professional, and professor, traces the spread of misinformation and disinformation through our fast-moving media landscape and teaches young readers the skills that will help them identify and counter poorly-sourced clickbait and misleading headlines.