Build your news literacy skills
Training opportunities for individuals and organizations
What is news literacy?
News literacy is the ability to determine the credibility of news and other information and to recognize the standards of fact-based journalism to know what to trust, share and act on. News literacy teaches you how to think about the news and information you encounter daily but not what to think about any source. That part is up to you.
Why is news literacy important?
From our health to our finances to our workplace and our personal values, misinformation affects everything in our daily lives. And if we can’t agree on a set of basic facts, then we can’t make well-informed decisions about our lives and our governance. When you become news-literate you are less likely to fall for online hoaxes. News literacy programs give you and your community the skills and mindset to push back against misinformation.
Practical skills for navigating the news
APR
29
MON
PAST EVENT
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Monday, April 29
JAN
25
THUR
PAST EVENT
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Thursday, Jan. 25
How can we determine whether news sources are credible? Local news outlets help us make informed decisions as engaged citizens in a democracy, but the process of creating the news isn’t transparent. We’ll provide an overview of the news literacy concepts and skills that people need to be reliably informed. This free webinar will pull the curtain back on how quality, ethical journalism is done and how it seeks to inform us fairly and accurately.
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TUE
4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Feb. 6
Discover how to determine the credibility of a piece of information by identifying its purpose. You will learn how to spot key indicators that show a piece of content is news, opinion, advertising or even propaganda. We’ll answer the questions, “What makes news … news?” and “How can we tell the difference between all these types of information?”
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MAR
14
THUR
1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT
Thursday, Mar. 14
As we navigate the 2024 election, are we being informed or influenced? This webinar will teach skills for identifying credible election information. We will learn how to evaluate the purpose of the information sources share, how to identify common misinformation trends and forms of bias, and how to prioritize finding credible sources.
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Why the News Literacy Project?
We are the nation’s leading provider of nonpartisan news literacy resources. Our work has been recognized by former President Barack Obama and former Bush administration education secretary Margaret Spellings. Our experienced staff includes former classroom educators and journalists. The programs and resources we’ve developed have helped thousands of educators teach millions of students how to recognize fact from fiction.
Our audience
We offer engaging, interactive in-person and virtual workshops and webinars to teach adults how to verify the accuracy of information and evaluate the credibility of sources, news and other online content. We provide training to members of the public, civic organizations, private companies, the military, community groups, social clubs and more. Sessions include timely, real-life examples geared toward your group’s interests, tips, tools and a question-and-answer period. NLP is strictly nonpartisan, and we refrain from training politically affiliated groups or organizations.
Upcoming webinars
Productive conversations without confrontation
We each have an opportunity within our networks of influence to build understanding and trust in our democracy. This webinar offers strategies for productive, civil conversations – especially when discussing misinformation.
Sessions offered October 24 and November 16.
Civic and community training
Help your members tell fact from fiction in their inboxes and social feeds with a custom news literacy training. Whether you’re a civic engagement organization or a social club, your members will benefit from these essential media literacy skills.
Corporate training
Help your employees navigate our increasingly complex information landscape with confidence. Companies also receive valuable guidance on steps they can take to protect their brands from harmful mis- and disinformation.
FREE WEBINAR
How to fact-check in the AI age
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 | 7 p.m. et
The threat of misinformation is a growing concern among many Americans, and the emergence of artificial intelligence technology has complicated how we approach this issue. How do we distinguish fact from fiction? In this free public webinar, the News Literacy Project’s Dan Evon and DeMario Phipps-Smith will discuss the fundamentals of fact-checking in the AI age. Join us to learn how to debunk false images and videos, both computer-generated and human-made.
Choose the program that meets your needs
We offer core topics in news literacy, as well as customized workshops or seminars. In a single session we can focus on one to two topics, or you can combine sessions for a half-day immersion. In addition to the topics outlined here, we can create completely custom trainings, deliver keynote addresses and presentations and lead discussions.
Core topics
What does it mean to be 'news-literate?'
We provide an overview of the news literacy concepts and skills that people need to be reliably and credibly informed. The session focuses on recognizing the credibility of news that informs us and how to identify false or misleading information.
exploring the misinformation landscape
We discuss how to identify types of misleading, inaccurate and false information, how to recognize common propagators of falsehoods and how to evaluate motivations for sharing misinformation. We also demonstrate essential fact-checking skills.
understanding news media bias
People perceive and allege bias in news coverage, but what does this mean? What makes something biased, and who decides? What role do our own biases play? We help audiences understand this complex topic and empower them to evaluate the fairness, accuracy and impartiality of news coverage.
productive conversations without confrontation
Discussing current events with someone whose views have been distorted by disinformation can be difficult. We’ll give you tips to guide your conversations with people who believe in conspiracy theories by addressing why misinformation manipulates emotions and draws people in. We will also provide strategies for having civil conversations and offer resources to help people debunk falsehoods.
avoiding election misinformation
For any number of reasons — evidence-free allegations of voter fraud and confusion about mail-in ballots, or election meddling by foreign actors and misleading advertisements — too many of us have doubts about the outcome of legitimate elections. This session focuses specifically on news literacy skills that are essential to finding credible information about candidates, issues and electoral processes.