NLP News

Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine is contributing to a hesitancy to get vaccinated. In an effort to separate fact from fiction and provide a better understanding of the reasons for that reluctance, we’re going to spend this week focusing on the issue and providing trustworthy information about it.

Our brains are built to look for patterns, and we tend to see them everywhere. We look up at a cloud and see the shape of a cat. Or we recognize the outline of a face in a puddle. Patternicity is the term for this tendency to perceive meaningful patterns and connections among unrelated events.…

The tumultuous events of the past year have highlighted the First Amendment’s vital role as a pillar of American democracy. They have also underscored the need for vigilance in defending it.

More than 40 years ago, the United States first celebrated the heritage of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) with a commemorative week in May 1979. But this year, amid disturbing violence and abuse targeted at Asian-Americans, immigrants and other people of color, appreciating the culture and contributions of the AAPI community is more important than…

Journalism — “arguably the best vaccine against the virus of disinformation” — is obstructed in a majority of countries around the world, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and its new press freedom ranking.

This article is from a previous issue of our Get Smart About News newsletter for the general public, which explores timely examples of misinformation as well as press freedom and social media trends and issues. Subscribe to our newsletters. By Hannah Covington It can be tempting to view the public’s distrust of the news media as…

The upcoming Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday offers an opportune moment to reflect on my favorite film about journalism: Spotlight, which won the best picture Oscar in 2016.

Peter Adams, NLP’s senior vice president of education, will discuss media bias and show consumers how to evaluate news coverage in a virtual presentation for the St. Charles City-County Library Current Conversations series. People frequently perceive and allege bias in news coverage, but what does this really mean? What makes a piece of news biased,…

NLP’s Peter Adams, senior vice president of education, and Charles Whitaker, the dean of Northwestern University’s Medill School, took part in an in-depth conversation about how misinformation spreads and what newsrooms and social media companies should do about it. The segment News Educators Say Journalists Should ‘Slow Down’ on Social Media aired April 20 on…

An April 4 report from the long-running CBS News newsmagazine 60 Minutes on disparities in Florida’s vaccine rollout has touched off a wave of criticism questioning the piece’s accuracy and fairness.

What happens when you bring together a news literacy expert and an experienced reporter who covers all things media? Find out during our first Instagram Live event!

NPR journalist Hannah Bloch is used to asking questions, but during a virtual visit with 80 sixth-graders at Chaparral Middle School in Diamond Bar, California, she was the one peppered with them. The conversation with Bloch, lead digital editor on NPR’s international desk, was the highlight of a media literacy component that educator Sherry Robertson…

I first met Emily Ramshaw at a dinner in Austin, Texas, in November 2019. She had just left The Texas Tribune, where she was its highly respected editor-in-chief, to take a giant leap of faith. She was about to launch a nonprofit online news organization devoted to covering politics and policy through a gender lens,…

Miami Dade Public Schools, in partnership with the News Literacy Project, is hosting a news literacy essay writing contest to empower students to be civically informed and engaged.

This article is from a previous issue of our Get Smart About News newsletter for the general public, which explores timely examples of misinformation as well as press freedom and social media trends and issues. Subscribe to our newsletters. Women working as journalists increasingly face gender-based violence outside of their newsrooms, including a barrage of…

NewsLitCamp helps teachers and librarians develop expertise in news literacy, demystifying what distinguishes quality journalism from misinformation. Join the News Literacy Project (NLP), South Carolina ETV and Public Radio, The Post and Courier, and Richland School District Two on May 14 and 21 for NewsLitCamp, a virtual teacher-centered professional learning event over two afternoons featuring breakout sessions with Columbia journalists.…

This column is a periodic series of personal reflections on journalism, news literacy, education and related topics by NLP’s founder and CEO, Alan C. Miller. Columns are posted at 10 a.m. ET every other Thursday. The PBS NewsHour segment on the News Literacy Project had just aired. “How was it?” my colleague asked me. “Great for us,” I responded. “But…

Join the News Literacy Project and OATS Senior Planet for a free webinar to learn how to fact-check content and use existing tools to verify information before you share it. The discussion will take place on Wednesday, March 31 at 1pm ET / 10am PT. In this webinar, we’ll share tips to help you understand the motivations of bad actors who push misleading, inaccurate and false information, and we’ll help you build skills to identify it and stop its spread. We’ll also teach you the basics of fact-checking so that you can protect yourself from falling for misinformation.

By Suzannah Gonzales and Hannah Covington This article is from this week’s issue of our Get Smart About News newsletter for the general public, which explores timely examples of misinformation as well as press freedom and social media trends and issues. Subscribe to our newsletters. News coverage of the March 16 fatal shootings at Atlanta-area…

NewsLitCamp helps teachers & librarians develop expertise in news literacy, demystifying what distinguishes quality journalism from misinformation. Join the News Literacy Project (NLP), Star Tribune, MPR News and Sourcewell Technology on June 15 for NewsLitCamp, a virtual teacher-centered day of professional learning featuring breakout sessions with Minnesota journalists. Sign up today (it’s FREE!) to reserve your seat!…

NewsLitCamp helps teachers and librarians develop expertise in news literacy, demystifying what distinguishes quality journalism from misinformation. Join the News Literacy Project (NLP), The Wall Street Journal and the New York City Department of Education on June 3 for NewsLitCamp, a national virtual teacher-centered day of professional learning featuring breakout sessions with journalists from the Wall Street Journal. This program…

NLP’s Ebonee Rice shares the stories of pioneering women journalists and how their work helped make the careers of current women journalists possible. She wrote the piece in honor of Women’s History Month. “For many years, women played less visible roles in national and international media, doing their jobs while fighting for their seats at…

As numerous states consider steps to change the way voters participate in elections, we urge elected officials to base their actions on credible evidence. We believe that the right to vote is an essential act of an informed citizenry. But legislation premised on widespread disinformation about the 2020 election — including baseless voter fraud claims…

This column is a periodic series of personal reflections on journalism, news literacy, education and related topics by NLP’s founder and CEO, Alan C. Miller. Columns are posted at 10 a.m. ET every other Thursday. Ninety years before the jaw-dropping notion of “alternative facts” made its debut on the North Lawn of the White House at the dawn…

Connecticut Public Radio interviewed NLP’s Peter Adams for a March 9 All Things Considered segment, Why Disinformation Preys On ‘Our Most Sacred Beliefs And Values. He spoke about why misinformation has become a significant problem, what he thinks social media companies should do to curb it, why he believes legislation is coming to fight it…

Hosted by: Constitutional Democracy Project – IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law Presenter: Allie Niese, CPS Teacher March 11, 2021, 4-5:30 p.m. CT Sign up now! This webinar will answer questions surrounding the role of news literacy in the classroom, share resources, and develop content knowledge to better support civil dialogue in the classroom. The session…

The Washington Post’s Valerie Strauss features content from The Sift® in her blog Answer Sheet weekly throughout the school year. These are the installments for the 2020-21 academic year. Twisting LeBron James’s words, a fake Saturn photo and other news literacy lessons  (May 14, 2021) Clarity or deception in ‘60 Minutes’ report on Florida’s vaccine…

Mary Beth Tinker addresses an audience of students at The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University in 2014. Photo by Eli Hiller / Flickr.com / CC BY-SA 2.0 Mary Beth Tinker was only 16 years old when, in 1969, her name became synonymous with freedom of speech for students. I also was a…

Register here for this free webinar from AARP/Senior Planet OATS initiative Join us Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. ET when the News Literacy Project (NLP) presents the free webinar Exploring the Misinformation Landscape for AARP’/Senior Planet. The session, part of the Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) initiative, will help older people recognize the motivations…

Abby Phillip, CNN senior political correspondent and anchor of “Inside Politics Sunday,” is joining the board of the News Literacy Project. “Abby brings us exceptional credentials as a journalist as well as a fresh perspective,” said Alan C. Miller, founder and CEO of NLP, the nation’s leading nonpartisan education nonprofit. “With her experience, we anticipate…

In the Feb. 21 segment of the Truth for Teachers podcast, host Angela Watson interviews NLP’s Peter Adams on How to be informed media consumer and advocate for truth. Adams begins by discussing why misinformation is more prevalent and provides a brief overview of how extremists of all kinds have become better networked and influential.…

The Life of Gusto podcast host Augusto Andres interviews Chuck Salter, NLP’s president and COO for a Feb. 21 segment on truth and misinformation.  Salter shares his insights into how we arrived at this period where truth itself is under siege, the challenges of navigating our complex information landscape, and most importantly, why civics education…

Register here for this free presentation at edWeb. When students connect strongly to what you are teaching, they become motivated to turn assignments into action. If you want to ignite a spark in your students, you won’t want to miss this edWebinar, featuring the News Literacy Project’s ambassadors. They’ll describe how their students have elevated…

When you view educator Sandra Street’s LinkedIn profile, your gaze quickly finds the word “seasoned,” which appears directly under her name at the top of the page. In this understated way, she makes her wealth of experience and expertise evident. An award-winning history teacher at the Gordon Parks School for Inquisitive Minds in Queens, New…

NLP’s Senior Vice President of Education Peter Adams discusses misinformation and conspiracy theories in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with The New York Times in the Feb. 12 piece Get Wise to Covid Rumors. During this pandemic, spreaders of misinformation have targeted people by using everything from printed newsletters to viral videos. But you’re…

This February, during Black History Month, we’re shining a light on pioneering Black journalists and news media from the past two centuries. Many of these reporters and outlets overcame incredible obstacles and discriminatory systemic structures to report the facts in their communities. Many are also relatively unknown to the news-consuming public. We hope to help…

NLP founder and CEO Alan C. Miller discussed news literacy and its role in democracy on The Trusted Web Podcast, hosted by Sebastiaan van der Lans. When introducing Miller in the Feb. 10 segment, Creating News Literacy with Alan Miller, CEO of the News Literacy Projec‪t, van der Lans said, “Alan and I share a…

In a look at how news literacy education helps young people navigate the Information Age, NLP founder and CEO Alan C. Miller hears from students and educators about how they’ve learned to critically look at what they’re reading, watching and hearing.

As the U.S. Senate begins the confirmation hearing for Miguel Cardona to become the next Secretary of Education, it must ensure that he prioritizes a robust civics curriculum for the nation’s middle schools and high schools that includes news literacy education. One of the primary purposes of public education is to teach the next generation…

To work toward reducing the harmful effects of misinformation on young minds, NLP is launching NewsLit Nation, the home of its News Literacy Educator Network. NewsLit Nation members advocate for news literacy education and support educators helping students navigate the complex digital news ecosystem. With educators on the frontline of the fight against misinformation, NewsLit…