National News Literacy Week 2023 explores declining public trust in news media

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 9, 2023 – This year’s fourth annual National News Literacy Week, from Jan. 23 to 27, will encourage news consumers to stop the flood of misinformation and learn how to identify trustworthy news. The week includes events and resources that will explore the complex issues relating to declining trust in national news media and highlight successful efforts to help rebuild credibility.

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, faith in the news media is falling across the globe, and particularly in the United States. Only 39% of American adults said they trust the media in 2022, down six points from 2021. At the same time, concern about false and misleading information is at an all-time high. This year’s news literacy event tackles these challenges with free tips, tools and conversations, both online and in-person.

National News Literacy Week is co-presented by the News Literacy Project, a national nonpartisan education nonprofit and the nation’s leading provider of news literacy resources, and The E.W. Scripps Company, one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters. The week aims to elevate the role of news literacy and a free press in our democracy by empowering everyone with the skills they need to sort fact from fiction.

“The American public is struggling to make sense of the crush of news and information they are confronted with daily, as misinformation surges on social media and local news outlets shrink,” said Chuck Salter, president and CEO of NLP. “News literacy skills help media consumers understand what makes news trustworthy, and National News Literacy Week will help ensure that more people can confidently navigate the news.”

To help bolster public trust in the news, this year’s theme will examine past missteps made by newsroom decision makers and help demystify how the news gets made at credible outlets.

“A healthy democracy depends on an informed and educated citizenry and a trustworthy journalism industry,” said Adam Symson, president and CEO of Scripps. “For this year’s National News Literacy Week, we’re shining a light on the news gathering and reporting process to further enhance openness and transparency with our local and national news audiences across the country.”

Two of this year’s events will be livestreamed and in-person.

• We regret the error: Public trust and media accountability: 6 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 23, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. National newsroom leaders from the Washington Post, NPR, Axios, Scripps and more discuss the lessons they’ve learned from past mistakes – editorial, business, staffing and otherwise.
• Trust issues: How Chicago news outlets build credibility in their communities: 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Chicago.Innovative journalists from the Chicago Sun-Times, Block Club, City Bureau and Northwestern will explain how they are earning trust by involving their audiences in the editorial process.

For educators, NLP and NBCUniversal News Group will host on Jan. 27 a virtual NewsLitCamp®, a professional learning experience that connects teachers with practicing journalists. Sessions are designed to help educators build news literacy expertise they can bring back to their classrooms.

Other livestreamed discussions will include participants from the American Psychological Association, KQED, San Francisco’s NPR-member station; Teens for Press Freedom, a national youth-led organization; EduColor, an educator advocacy group that supports communities of color; and misinformation experts from NLP. Visit NewsLiteracyWeek.org for a full listing of events, participants and supporting organizations.

Here are more ways the public, educators and journalists can get involved:

• Watch our public service announcement, which encourages viewers to “stop the flood” of misinformation by learning how to identify credible sources of news and information.
• Visit NewsLiteracyWeek.org to learn about the events happening over the course of the week and specific actions you can take to improve your own news literacy skills.
• Share your support for news literacy via social media by using the National News Literacy Week social media toolkit.
• Join the conversation on social media using the #NewsLiteracyWeek hashtag.

About the News Literacy Project 

The News Literacy Project, the nation’s leading provider of news literacy education, is a nonpartisan education nonprofit that is building a national movement to advance the practice of news literacy throughout American society, creating better informed, more engaged and more empowered individuals – and ultimately a stronger democracy.

About Scripps

The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) is a diversified media company focused on creating a better-informed world. As one of the nation’s largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio of 61 stations in 41 markets. The Scripps Networks reach nearly every American through the national news outlets Scripps News and Court TV and popular entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Grit, Laff, ION Mystery, Defy TV and TrueReal. Scripps is the nation’s largest holder of broadcast spectrum. Scripps runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and is the longtime steward of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, “Give light and the people will find their own way.”