Information Literacy and Fake News

Media companies have swelled from family businesses to huge newspaper chains. Some businesses that started out small and have become major corporations include: the Walt Disney company, 21st Century Fox, and News Corp. Some companies, such as Comcast in the U.S., control your cable connection as well as the content. Sky U.K. is the U.K.,’s largest TV company.

It includes digital cable and mobile phone services. This media affects what makes news. The news media is often called a watchdog for alerting citizens about wrongdoing and possible corruption. But now there is less barking going on. With only a few owners, not as many voices are heard. (From Free Press and Censorship.)

With the amount of information available today from a variety of sources, it is more important than ever that young people are aware of how media works and that they develop critical thinking skills in order to analyze and evaluate what they see, hear and read. The media is both pervasive and invasive and reflects dominant beliefs and values. It has the power to influence opinions and actions. Though the term “information and media literacy” is not new, it has evolved to include digital media. The four titles in the timely Why Does Media Literacy Matter? series focus on the methods that the media employs to sway public opinion and strategies that readers can use to detect bias, persuasion and censorship.

Each book consists of five or six chapters and begins with an explanation of media literacy as it pertains to the book’s main topic. There is a good balance between examples from past history, such as Watergate and media censorship in Nazi Germany, and current events, such as the Never Again anti-gun rallies and NFL players taking a knee during the American national anthem. Besides the main body of the text, there are text boxes containing quotes, a “Dig Deep” section which poses a question to ponder or invites readers to do a bit of further research (one example is having readers watch the news on different cable and network TV stations to determine whether there is a fair representation of various ethnicities among the presenters), and a “Closer Look” section which gives specific examples related to the topic. One of the series’ authors is a former marketing manager and newspaper writer while the other has 25 years of experience as a newspaper, television and radio journalist and currently teaches university-level communications, so they know of what they speak. Plenty of colour and archival photographs, cartoons, charts, timelines and maps serve to support the text. A glossary, an index and a list of books and websites for further study are provided.

Free Press and Censorship focuses on the importance of a free press. Since media has the power to influence public opinion, it has a responsibility to provide truthful, unbiased information and to protect its sources. In this title, there are examples of the products of mass communication, different types of media and media giants. Readers will also learn about the history of newspapers, where and how the media gets its news, public versus private broadcasters, and the three types of censorship (direct, indirect and self-imposed). Other topics include tabloid journalism, rights protests and organizations, such as the CRTC which sets rules for broadcasting and telecommunications.

Information Literacy and Fake News stresses that, with fake news and social media use increasing, it is imperative that people become more media literate. This title highlights news reporting: the five Ws, impartiality, fact versus opinion, what makes a good news story, and how to write a news story using the inverted pyramid method. Readers are encouraged to check a newspaper (and other media) for accuracy and balance in reporting, reliable sources, authorship, and photo selection and placement. (One example is checking a URL to make sure that the information comes from a reliable source.) The author also provides a fake news checklist and gives real-life examples of how fake news can cause real harm. Propaganda, sensationalism and conspiracy theories are other factors for readers to be aware of when evaluating news sources.

Power and Persuasion in Advertising covers topics such as marketing strategies, visual codes, types of media channels (ranging from the internet and billboards to print and apps), brand loyalty, demographics and target audience, the common “magic” words of advertising, and the five steps to becoming a customer. Readers will be introduced to the words logos (logic and facts), ethos (ethics and trust) and pathos (emotions) as they pertain to advertising techniques. One interesting strategy is guerilla marketing, an attention grabber in the form of a stunt or prank, such as the West Jet Christmas video which went viral. Prior to boarding their flight, travelers told a West Jet blue-clad Santa what they wanted for Christmas, and, upon landing in their destination city, they received their gifts on the luggage carousel. This title also discusses advertising standards and code of ethics.

The makers of media choose how they will show people and the world through the selection of words, photos and videos, to name a few. In Representation in Media, readers will learn that dominant values in the media can be conscious, subtle, or subconscious, and that the more people are exposed to a certain image or idea, the more they think it’s true. This title examines stereotypes versus inclusiveness, normalization, and the art of manipulation through altering images and eliciting emotions by means of camera angles and video clips. Readers will be made aware that what is shown on television and in ads is not always an accurate representation of real life. For instance, female models have stylists, hair and makeup artists, and pinned/altered clothing and their photos are retouched to trim their waists and make their skin look flawless. Reality television shows are examples of how content can be “crafted to deliver a desired message and character representations”. The authors suggest that people of different races should speak for themselves rather than having the dominant culture speak for them and that minorities should play themselves in movies, a topic that has recently come up in the news. (Interesting to note is that, despite this title’s touting inclusiveness, there are no photos of Indigenous people.)

Why Does Media Literacy Matter? is definitely a timely series with an important message for middle-schoolers.