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Your brain and misinformation: Why people believe lies and conspiracy theories

Join Peter Adams, NLP’s senior director of research and design, for a discussion that will explore how and why people fall for falsehoods.

 

Our brains do marvelous things, but they also make us vulnerable to falsehoods. Why? What leads people to fall for misinformation? And why do they share it with others? Is it all a battle between our emotions and our rational faculties? Between our ideological allies and adversaries? Or is there more to the story?

Join a panel of experts during the fourth annual National News Literacy Week to untangle the threads in our heads and hearts that can cause us to accept and spread falsehoods, even when we should know better.

Panelists include:

  • Peter Adams, senior vice president of research and design at the News Literacy Project
  • Dr. Sander van der Linden, professor of social psychology in society at the University of Cambridge, director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab and author of Foolproof: Why We Fall for Misinformation and How to Build Immunity

This live, virtual discussion is free and open to the public.

This event is presented in partnership with the American Psychological Association as part of National News Literacy Week.

National News Literacy Week, presented by the News Literacy Project in partnership with the E.W. Scripps Company, is Jan. 23-27, 2023. This annual event underscores the vital role of news literacy in a democracy and aims to inspire news consumers, educators and students to practice news literacy and to strengthen trust in news media by reinforcing the role of credible journalism.

Dr. Seema Yasmin was originally scheduled to participate but was unable to attend.

Trust issues: How Chicago news outlets build credibility in their communities

In this moderated discussion, Chicago journalists explain how to earn trust by involving audiences in the editorial process.

 

McCormick Foundation Center Forum, Northwestern Medill, 1870 Campus Dr., Evanston, IL 60208

Chicago has produced some of the nation’s most storied journalists and a variety of unique media outlets, making it one of the leading journalism laboratories in the country. During our fourth annual National News Literacy Week, we are exploring why trust in the news media is declining among some Americans and presenting a panel of innovative Chicago journalists to discuss how they are building trust in their work. These journalists are involving their audiences in their editorial processes, hosting listening sessions, rethinking subscription models, prioritizing transparency with sources, and training young journalists and community members. We will hear from journalists with Chicago Public Media, Block Club Chicago and City Bureau and an expert from the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications to help us understand how their work is helping to create a more news-literate nation and why it’s important to do so. Join us at 5 p.m. CT Tuesday, Jan. 24 for this free public event at the McCormick Foundation Center Forum on the Northwestern Medill campus in Evanston, Illinois. If you can’t be there in person, please join our livestream on our YouTube channel.

CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez will moderate a panel discussion with:

Michael Spikes, lecturer at Northwestern Medill and director of the Teach for Chicago Journalism Program, will provide an introduction that will help us understand the state of public trust in the news media.

This event is presented in partnership with the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications. Illinois teachers can receive two Professional Development Clock Hours (also known as CPDU credits) by attending this event. If you’re a Chicago-area teacher joining us in person, please see Katie Fernandez at the event to complete your paperwork. Teachers who wish to attend virtually should email katie.fernandez[at]northwestern.edu for instructions to receive PD credits.

National News Literacy Week, presented by the News Literacy Project in partnership with the E.W. Scripps Co., will be held on Jan. 23-27, 2023. This annual event underscores the vital role of news literacy in a democracy and aims to inspire news consumers, educators and students to practice news literacy and to strengthen trust in news media by reinforcing the role of credible journalism.

We regret the error: Public trust and media accountability

A look at how newsroom leaders discuss past mistakes and what they’ve learned to build greater trust with their audiences.

 

National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20045

A recent Gallup survey found that the public’s confidence in news has fallen to an all-time low. What can news organizations do to regain trust in their work? What lessons have newsroom leaders learned from past mistakes to help their audiences understand the lengths they go through to produce credible and trustworthy news? We’ll explore this in a panel discussion moderated by News Literacy Project President and CEO Charles Salter and featuring top journalists and media experts, including:

This event is presented in partnership with The E.W. Scripps Company as part of National News Literacy Week, Jan. 23-27, 2023. This annual event underscores the vital role of news literacy in a democracy and aims to inspire news consumers, educators and students to practice news literacy and to strengthen trust in news media by reinforcing the role of credible journalism.

Flip event: Celebrate National News Literacy Week with Teens for Press Freedom

The nonprofit Teens for Press Freedom joins the News Literacy Project for this student-led discussion on Microsoft Flip about trust and credibility.

 

This National News Literacy Week, join Microsoft Flip, the News Literacy Project and Teens for Press Freedom for a student-led conversation about the overwhelming amount of information (including misinformation) that we encounter — and how you can know what to trust. You and your students will hear practical tips and advice from young people about how they separate fact from fiction, how they determine credibility and how they decide what to share with friends or base opinions on. Then stick around for a Q&A to see if your students’ news literacy question is selected to be answered live by our experts! Register for the event or submit a question by joining our event Flip group. Register for the this free event or submit a question by joining our event Flip group.

This event is part of National News Literacy Week (Jan. 23-27), presented annually by the News Literacy Project and The E.W. Scripps Company.

It will include a presentation by Sofia Williams and Agatha German, co-directors of Teens for Press Freedom, a national, youth-led organization dedicated to promoting freedom of the press and factual literacy among teens. Williams and German will be joined by Erin Olson, NLP’s senior manager of education partnerships, for the Q&A.

Critical Reading to Identify Credible Evidence: A Conversation with Dr. Jeff Wilhelm

This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project on edWeb.net, focuses on critical reading skills and features professor and author Jeff Wilhelm.

How can you engage and motivate students to think critically when navigating today’s complex information landscape? How can you help students develop the skills to evaluate the trustworthiness, credibility and reliability of evidence? How can cross-disciplinary connections help your students in “fighting fake news”?

Join the News Literacy Project in a free edWeb webinar for a conversation around these questions with Dr. Jeff Wilhelm, distinguished professor of English education at Boise State University and literacy teaching expert. Wilhelm’s forthcoming book is Fighting Fake News: Teaching Students to Identify and Interrogate Information Pollution.

Wilhelm will be joined by NLP’s own Brittney Smith, senior manager of education partnerships (East), and Pamela Brunskill, senior manager of education design. Shaelynn Farnsworth, NLP’s senior director of education partnership strategy, will moderate.

The webinar will include a discussion of the need for and benefits of critical reading skills, as well as a look at NLP’s Framework for Teaching News Literacy, developed using the Understanding by Design template by Wiggins and McTighe (2005). Participants will learn about a variety of resources and techniques that they can implement immediately in the classroom. All attendees will have the chance to win a copy of Fighting Fake News.

This webinar is part of National News Literacy Week (Jan. 23-27), an annual event presented by the News Literacy Project and The E.W. Scripps Company.

Webinar | Power in Art: Elevate Student Voice with Editorial Cartooning

In this free webinar from the News Literacy Project and KQED, you’ll learn how to use editorial cartoons in news and media literacy curriculums.

 

Editorial cartooning, a powerful form of opinion journalism, has a long history in the United States, and draws on a rich visual vocabulary to communicate complex ideas in an accessible way.

You’ll discover how to support students as they analyze and create political cartoons to share their perspective about issues. You’ll also explore topics such as trust and credibility as they relate to opinion journalism.

In this hands-on workshop, you will:

This event is part of National News Literacy Week (Jan. 23-27), presented annually by the News Literacy Project and The E.W. Scripps Company.