National News Literacy Week 2024 coverage
The fifth annual National News Literacy Week turned a spotlight on local news and its role in a healthy democracy. Through free events for educators and the public, this initiative provided people of all ages with the knowledge and tools to become better informed and more civically engaged. NLP staff and partners shared their expertise with media outlets around the nation. Some highlights:
United Press International
“In a functioning democracy, high-quality local journalism is essential to ensuring that community leaders are working in the public’s best interest,” NLP President and CEO Charles Salter wrote, “Local news unites communities, serving as the proverbial ‘water cooler’…”
The Chicago Tribune
“We will never stop the supply of bad information. There will always be new sources that create and spread it and algorithms that promote it,” wrote David Hiller, a member of NLP’s National Journalism Advisory Council. “Instead, we must fix the demand side and ensure that everyone has the skills they need to separate fact from fiction and seek out quality news.”
Governing
“The increasing adoption of news literacy education is an acknowledgment that students need help understanding our chaotic media environment so they can become well-informed citizens with the skills to participate effectively and knowledgeably in our democracy at every level of government,” said Shaelynn Farnsworth, senior director of education partnership strategy at NLP. “Just because young people are digital natives doesn’t mean they can sort through and make sense of all the content that bombards them.”
The Fulcrum
“It’s easy to get angry when we’re confronted with misinformation — that’s what it’s designed to do,” said Susan Minichiello, senior manager of education design at NLP. “But learning how to sort fact from fiction online while also practicing empathy will go a long way in fixing the misinformation crisis.”
Scripps News Reports
“This year, news literacy is focusing on responsible sharing, something that’s become so important given how much Americans rely on social media for their news and information,” said Adam Symson, CEO of the E.W. Scripps Company. “So, we really want to focus on arming people with the tools they need in order to think before they share, in order to research before they start spreading.” Listen to the episode here.
