Explore the definition of media literacy, key factors that influence media production, and key media biases, and learn how to become a critical consumer of media.
Essential Questions
- Why should we actively question the information presented in media rather than accept it at face value?
- What are common biases in media, and how can recognizing these biases help us become more independent thinkers?
- Why is it important to diversify our media consumption, and how can our media consumption influence our understanding of the world?
Big Ideas
- Active Questioning: Being media literate means constantly questioning the credibility, sources, and intent behind the information we consume.
- Bias in Media: Recognizing that all media has some level of bias helps individuals critically evaluate the reliability of information.
- Diversifying Media: Engaging with a range of reputable sources fosters a more comprehensive understanding of complex issues and reduces the risk of echo chambers.
PART 1
Introduction to Media Literacy
Video (00:00 – 02:55)
PART 2
How Media Production Works
Video (02:56 – 05:17)
PART 3
Key Biases Within Media
Video (05:18 – 10:02)
PART 4
MEDIA Diet Framework
Video (10:03 – 13:05)
In today’s digital age, media literacy—the ability to critically evaluate and consume media—is an essential skill. This guide, designed to accompany our media literacy video, provides educators with tools and strategies to help their students apply a healthy level of skepticism to their media consumption. At its core, media literacy is about inquiry and reflection on the information we encounter. This lesson equips students with the skills to assess the credibility, reliability, and inherent biases of information from social media and traditional news outlets. Engaging critically with information empowers informed decisions in civic engagement, personal choices, or societal issues. By engaging with this material, students will learn what media literacy is, how media is produced, how to identify bias, key questions to ask, and the importance of a diverse media diet.
How to use this guide
This guide is designed to enhance your students’ engagement with the video. You can pause at the suggested “Stop/Do/Discuss” points to explore key concepts through discussion and reflection questions provided for each section. Alternatively, you may prefer to show the entire video without breaks and use the discussion questions and activities at the end of this guide (“Summative Activities & Reflection”) for a comprehensive post-viewing discussion.
You can also utilize a flipped classroom approach, assigning the video (in full or in segments) for students to watch at home, then using class time to unpack ideas together through reflection, discussion, or hands-on activities. Choose the approach that best fits your students and classroom setting, whether it’s real-time engagement or a deeper dive after the video.
Discussion Questions
- Bias vs. Reliability: Introduce students to websites that evaluate the bias and reliability of news outlets, such as AllSides, Ad Fontes Media, GroundNews. Highlight how these sites provide both bias scores and reliability or factuality scores. Present the following quote from writer, historian, and activist Rebecca Solnit: “The truth is not some compromise halfway between the truth and the lie, the fact and the delusion, the scientists and the propagandists.”
- Why is it important to consider both the bias and the reliability of media outlets when diversifying our media diet
- What impact might focusing exclusively on either bias or reliability have on one’s perceptions?
- Challenging Beliefs: How might exposure to diverse media sources and viewpoints challenge our existing beliefs or assumptions? In what ways can discomfort or cognitive dissonance be valuable in the learning process?
- Breaking Echo Chambers: Discuss the potential societal effects of individuals and communities operating within echo chambers or consuming a narrow media diet. How might adopting a more diverse and critical approach to media consumption enhance civic discourse and decision-making?
Learning Activities
- Interview A Journalist: Begin by arranging for a journalist or media professional, such as a local reporter or a member of the school newspaper, to visit the class or participate in a virtual interview. In preparation, have students develop a list of questions focusing on ethical practices, the impact of EVA (economics, values, and algorithms) on content, challenges in maintaining objectivity, and strategies for addressing media bias. Conduct the interviews in a panel format, allowing students to ask their questions and take notes. Following the interviews, students will write a reflection paper on what they learned and how it changed their understanding of media literacy. Conclude the activity with a class discussion on key takeaways from the interviews and their broader implications for media literacy.
- Discuss: What were the most surprising insights you gained from the interviews, and how have they impacted your view of media ethics and the role of bias in journalism?
- Media Literacy PSA: Begin by introducing the project and its goals, explaining the idea of multi-modal PSAs and interactive exhibits. Divide students into groups, each exploring a different media literacy topic (e.g., EVA, media bias, source evaluation). Groups will research, plan, and create a PSA or exhibit using visuals, audio, and interactive features. Allow time and resources for creation, then hold a showcase for presentations. Conclude with a feedback session for reflection and peer review.
- Discuss: How did creating a multi-modal PSA or exhibit enhance your understanding of media literacy concepts, and what did you learn from viewing others’ projects?
Use these resources to deepen your understanding of media literacy concepts and explore how different tools, like media bias charts, map the media landscape across the political spectrum.