NLP News

Once trust is gone, it’s tough to regain. But it’s critical that we all work to restore it. That’s because public trust and a news media industry that does its job well go hand in hand in protecting our democracy. That’s why my organization, the News Literacy Project (along with The E.W. Scripps Company), is focusing on trust in newsrooms and news coverage during National News Literacy Week.

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.

Educators! Give your students the opportunity to write about some of the most important topics of our time and explore how they can help combat misinformation and work to protect the freedom of the press.

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.

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.

Learn about a free Microsoft Flip event from the News Literacy Project and Teens for Press freedom, with a student-led discussion on trust and credibility.

Learn about a free educator webinar presented by the News Literacy Project on edWeb.net, focused on critical reading skills and featuring Jeff Wilhelm.

Join the News Literacy Project for a free webinar, hosted in partnership with KQED, to learn 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.

The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was a watershed moment for teachers of news literacy.

In 2022 misinformation spread widely on social media. We review the trends and offer tips on how to better navigate social media in 2023.

From the perspective of 2022, Mary Robb and colleagues look like fortune tellers. In 2001 they created a Democracy and Media Literacy course.

Join us on Jan. 27 for NewsLitCamp®: Trust and Credibility, held as part of National News Literacy Week.

In a new and widely praised piece in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, News Literacy Project founder Alan Miller explores the many reasons for today’s information crisis and explains what everyone from journalists to educators and news consumers can do about it. 

In a special two-part episode of our podcast Is that a fact? — “Sandy Hook at 10: Tragedy, conspiracy theories and justice” — we explore the aftermath of the shooting and how what seemed like an aberration of untruths would instead develop into a bellwether for a shift in public discourse, with conspiracy theories becoming a common element of tragic events. We also discuss how victims’ families have fought back against the lies and harassment and brought about lasting change.

On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman walked into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. and, within minutes, ended the lives of 20 first-graders and six adults. In the decade since that day, grieving families have had to contend with conspiracy theorists – egged on by “alt-right” radio host Alex Jones and others – who believe the shooting never happened and the victims never existed.

For those celebrating holidays this season, it can be a joyful time to get together with loved ones. However, navigating conversations with family and friends — especially any who have been misled by mis- and disinformation — can also be stressful. 

Deborah Domingues-Murphy, an educator in Pittsburgh, Pa, is a News Literacy Project news literacy ambassador and civic engagement champion.

Please join us on Friday, Dec. 2 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET for NewsLitCamp® Philadelphia, a day of immersive, in-person professional learning built exclusively for educators and focusing on key news literacy concepts.

Our annual report showcases our achievements in schools, with the public and in our significant progress toward a more news-literate America.

NLP’s SVP of Educator Engagement Ebonee Rice says people don’t need empowerment; they have power and just need the resources to harness it.

The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday featured the News Literacy Project extensively in a story that explains increasing advocacy efforts to include media literacy instruction in the nation’s classrooms.

We’re just a couple of weeks from Election Day. In many states, early and mail-in voting is already underway. We have created a few more resources to help you stay informed – not misled – as we enter the final stretch of election season. Be sure to check out NLP’s original Election 2022 page, where…

Trying to discuss current events with someone who has been manipulated by misinformation, propaganda, or even conspiracy theories can be maddening, deeply emotional, and seemingly futile. Before you react angrily or throw your hands up in frustration, take a step back.

In her book, “Newsroom Confidential,” Margaret Sullivan notes the pioneering work of NLP under the leadership of founder Alan C. Miller.

NLP responds to CT jury decision ordering Alex Jones to pay at least $965 million to those harmed by his lies about the Sandy Hook shooting.

As we head toward Election Day – Tuesday, Nov. 8 – many of us are hearing messages like, “Get informed before you vote.” But how can we be sure we’re getting information from credible sources? How do we know if we’re being informed or misled? The News Literacy Project is hosting a series of three…

It’s fall during a busy elections cycle, which means everything tastes like pumpkin spice – with a big dash of misleading elections information and frustrating conversations about politics. NLP experts were quoted in a number of stories in which they not to only explained the big problems facing our electoral system, but also  offered some hope with useful advice and a new effort to teach people news literacy skills. 

Get informed and learn the skills to stay well-informed with RumorGuard, the newest addition to NLP’s comprehensive news literacy resources.

NLP’s News Literacy Ambassador Program is a national initiative to mobilize educators in the fight against misinformation.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. Now is the time to make sure you have the facts about when, where and how to vote. When you search for information about the midterm elections, make sure you’re referencing reliable sources.

In this edWeb webinar, join News Literacy Project experts and news literacy educators to learn how you can strengthen your students’ media and news literacy skills and equip them for active, responsible civic life. Learn about best practices for teaching about bias and the primary purpose of various sources, and discover how you can help students identify news and information that is presented in a fair and accurate way.

Educators asked, and we’ve answered! In response to requests for STEM-aligned lessons on Checkology®, the News Literacy Project’s free, browser-based virtual classroom, we’ve added a trio of new lessons: “Evaluating Science-Based Claims,” “Be Health Informed” and “Making Sense of Data.”

Today is Democracy Day, a collaborative effort by journalists and their allies from around the nation to draw attention to threats to democracy and to highlight ways to resist these threats.

Join us for a free educator webinar to explore a trio of brand-new STEM-aligned Checkology®️ lessons! Topics covered in the new lessons include climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines, medical misinformation, pseudoscience and conspiratorial thinking.

Each quarter, through these updates, we’ll keep you in tune with the work our network of educators is doing and how that work is shifting the media literacy education landscape across the U.S. to create a future founded on facts.

This fall, experts at the News Literacy Project have been trusted sources to give guidance for best practices to teach news literacy, explain why certain communities are more vulnerable to mis- and dis-information, and share tips for finding and sharing credible news and information. 

Mary Lynn Hickey, our senior vice president of administration and one of the longest-tenured staffers, is featured in the latest NLPeople.

Are you — and your students — ready for the new school year?

Get ready with a foundation in news literacy — as well as best practices for teaching it — through our free educator webinars and resources.

This edWeb webinar, sponsored by the News Literacy Project, features a panel conversation with editorial cartoonists Lalo Alcaraz and Signe Wilkinson, who are both included in “Power in Art: The Watchdog Role of Editorial Cartoonists,” an innovative new lesson on NLP’s virtual classroom, Checkology®.

Ambassador Connections, our new series highlighting NewsLit Nation Ambassadors, begins with an interview with Amanda Escheman of Denver.