The Insider: March 2026
March 4, 2026
Your comprehensive guide to using NLP resources.
What’s inside?
🌳 NEW: The Information Ecosystem Depends on News
🌟 Kori Green Insider Spotlight
📢 National News Literacy Conference: Submit a session proposal
An inside look: What makes an information ecosystem healthy?
As Earth Day approaches, you may already be planning ways to help your students zoom out and think about how ecosystems work as connected, interdependent systems. Our newest infographic invites you to take that same approach with something your students navigate every day: the information ecosystem. In The Information Ecosystem Depends on News, we step back together to explore how today’s information environment is layered, fast-moving and often overwhelming, and why journalism plays such a vital role in keeping it grounded. Be sure to register for or sign in to your free account on the Checkology® virtual classroom to download the infographic.
When you zoom in with your students, the details start to come into focus. The infographic walks through how raw information like interviews, data and public records is gathered, checked and verified before it becomes news. It also helps students sort through the different types of content in their feeds, from standards-based reporting to opinion and infotainment, and understand that each operates by different norms and purposes. You may find this gives language to distinctions students have noticed but not yet fully articulated.
Then, when you zoom back out, the bigger picture becomes clearer. Journalism functions much like a keystone species in a natural ecosystem. It supports the entire system by supplying communities with verified facts. When that foundation weakens, the ripple effects are felt everywhere, from public discourse to individual decision-making. That perspective can open meaningful conversations in your classroom about press freedom, access to credible information and what it means to sustain a healthy civic environment.
We created this resource to help you move easily between close analysis and big-picture thinking. As you plan lessons around balance, sustainability and shared responsibility this Earth Day, we invite you to explore the full infographic and the related classroom tools. A simple shift in perspective can help your students better understand not only the natural world, but also the information landscape shaping how they see it.
Insider spotlight
Welcome to Insider Spotlight, where we feature real questions from our team and answers from educators who are making a difference teaching news literacy. This month, our featured educator is Kori Green, a high school history teacher in Wichita, Kansas.
What’s new?
⭐ Call for proposals now open for our National News Literacy Conference
In case you missed it, we are now accepting proposals for our inaugural National News Literacy Conference! We’re seeking session proposals that align with NLP’s Framework for Teaching News Literacy and/or our grade band expectations. We’re especially interested in proposals that include:
- Classroom-ready strategies and lessons.
- Innovative approaches to teaching news and media literacy.
- Real-world experiences, challenges and successes.
If you have an idea, strategy or practice that’s working in your classroom or district, we’d love to hear from you. The submission deadline is April 3, 2026.
⭐ Be featured as our monthly educator spotlight!
Are you using NLP’s resources to make a difference in your classroom? We want to hear from you! We’re looking for passionate educators to share their experiences and insights in our Insider Spotlight. Complete the interest form here: https://forms.gle/pvzQPix7kAPmgYQp6
For district admin and school leaders:
⭐ Applications open for the News Literacy District Fellowship program
Interested in developing and delivering news and media literacy education plans across your district in a sustainable and impactful way? We invite you to apply for our News Literacy District Fellowship program. The fellowship is a three-year commitment that provides districts with access to experts in the field, professional learning opportunities, implementation support and a stipend. This is a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact in your district and beyond.
If you have any questions, please contact Directors of the District Fellowship program Brittney Smith at bsmith@newslit.org or Elliott Goodman at egoodman@newslit.org. For more information and to apply, visit our District Fellowship page. The application deadline is Dec. 1, 2026.
From our partners
💡 Media Literacy Now — Policy and Impact Report
Media literacy is no longer optional — it’s essential. Every year, Media Literacy Now charts the national landscape of media literacy education — and this year’s Media Literacy Policy & Impact Report shows powerful momentum in states nationwide to prepare students for misinformation, AI-generated content and digital well-being. Since January 2024, 11 states have taken new steps to strengthen media literacy education for K–12 students, reflecting broad bipartisan public support and urgent demand. Explore the findings — https://medialiteracynow.org/policyreport/
Share your input
Click here to take the poll and be entered into a raffle to win NLP swag!
Congrats to LeeAnn O’Neal for winning last month’s giveaway!
Pencil it:
📅 March:
🍀 March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
📅 April:
🌎 April 22: Earth Day
Support news literacy by donating today.
Visit us at newslit.org, checkology.org and rumorguard.org.
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