Friday, January 22, 2021 Charleston County Library

CHARLESTON, S.C. - It's National News Literacy Week! This week focuses on using education to stop the spread of misinformation. Specifically, taking a closer look at the news sources you consume and share to make sure they are credible. 

The core and most important function of a legitimate news source is to inform. Journalists gather and assess information and present that information to the public through newspapers, radio, television, the web, and social media. Journalists strive to be accurate, fair, and unbiased in their reporting by presenting all sides of an issue to the public. This allows the news consumer to make informed decisions impacting their life and community. 

Not all news is created equally. A big part of news literacy is determining the type of content you are consuming and why it was created. According to the News Literacy Project, there are five categories of information: News, Opinion, Advertising, Entertainment, Propaganda, and Raw Information. News informs through objective reporting about local, national, and international events. Opinion-based content aims to persuade you to adopt a specific point of view about an issue or event. Advertising aims to sell a product or service. Entertainment amuses, relaxes, or distracts the consumer. The goal of propaganda is to provoke, often by using false or distorted information to manipulate your emotions. Raw information documents an event or trend without analysis, editing, or context.  

While it may seem simple to distinguish these categories of information, it can be much more difficult to identify in practice. So how do we determine a credible source? A helpful first step is to visit the "About" page on the source's website. Look for words like "independent" or "nonpartisan". You can also do a bit of digging into the author's credibility. Start by comparing the information to other articles about the same topic. See if you can notice any distinct differences in the way the news is covered. According to the News Literacy Project, there are five key questions to consider: 

  1. Who funds or sponsors the site where the original piece was published? What do other authoritative sources have to say about that site?
  2. When you do a search on the topic of the original piece, are the initial results from fact-checking organizations?
  3. Have questions been raised about other articles the author has written?
  4. Does what you're finding elsewhere contradict the original piece?
  5. Are credible news outlets reporting on (or perhaps more important, not reporting on) what you're reading?

The News Literacy Project also notes that while some facts in an article may be true, they can be cherry-picked to support the opinions and biases of opinion writers or TV commentators. When reading an article or listening to a commentator, check the facts and get the whole story. While some of the facts and statistics may be accurate, they still may only present a part of the complete picture. Are valid, but conflicting opinions left out? Make sure the article cites the source of the information and use a critical eye to determine if the cited source is a credible one. The language used in opinion pieces can also be a clue to the author's intent. Phrases like "terrorist", "vigilante", "bureaucrat", or "freedom fighter" can play a role in shaping the reader's opinion. 

Do you think you have what it takes to determine a credible news source? Take the News Literacy Project's Quiz to test your news literacy. 

Determining whether a source is credible is particularly important on social media, where misinformation is often spread. According to the Pew Research Center, about half of U.S. adults say they get news from social media "often" or "sometimes". The most popular social media news source is Facebook. Misinformation spreads when people don't fact check before they share. The News Literacy Project suggests four quick steps to take before sharing information on social media.

  1. Pause. Don't let your emotions (positive or negative) take over.
  2. Glance through the comments and look for any replies citing a fact check. 
  3. In the Internet search bar, turn the claim you are checking into a question and look for credible sources in the results. 
  4. Reply to the person who shared the post and ask for the original source or other evidence supporting the claim. 

At the Charleston County Public Library, our staff are happy to help patrons find resources to determine if a news story or source is credible. Check out this virtual Tech Team course on Identifying Fake News.

To get a look behind the scenes at the newsgathering process, watch this recent episode of Virtual Vehicles featuring staff from WCIV ABC News 4 sharing their News Satellite Truck.