From Johann to Jon
News Literacy
What is it?
News Literacy is the ability to
use critical thinking skills to
judge the reliability and
credibility of news reports,
whether they come via print,
television or the Internet
News Literacy
Vs.
Media Literacy
"Media Literacy incorporates the theoretical
traditions of semiotics, literary criticism, media
studies, communication theory, research on
arts education, and language and literacy
development."
(Hobbs, Renee (1997). Literacy for the information age)
"The ability to access, analyze,
communicate, and produce media in
variety of forms"
(Aspen Institute (1989))
Why We Need
News Literacy
As the digital revolution unleashes an
unprecedented flood of information – and
disinformation –, the ability to assess the
value of news will be an essential skill
for a citizen of the Information Age.
Democracy only can flourish with an
informed citizenry.
The corollary: democracy will wither with
a misinformed or confused citizenry.
Quality journalism only can be
sustained by a public that
recognizes it… and is willing to
support it.
News Literacy
The Course
How do you know if
you’re getting the truth
from the news?
News Blackout
“Ouch!”
“… the experience resembled
withdrawal. It made me realize how
dependent I am on having
instantaneous access to news…”
- A.I.
“…It is strange when you realize
how connected you are to the rest
of the world. When it all is taken
away, you feel as though a piece
of you is missing.”
- M.F.
“…The people around me including
myself would have no information about
the outside world. This would lead me to
believe that my way of life and thinking
is the right way…If this is the way I feel
after 48 hours, I wonder how people feel
if they were to experience this their
whole lives.”
- N.S.
“… Feelings of dread and anxiety
came over me as I realized how many
friends, customers and coworkers
would be discussing the State of the
Union address the next day…The
feelings of dread and anxiety came
from the fear of being judged by my
peers as uninformed, ignorant and
even downright Un-American”
- T.A.
“…I learned that, ‘ignorance
is bliss,’ because if you have
no idea about the negative
events that occur in today’s
society, it would not ruin
your mood.”
- L.L.
“This news blackout has
been absolutely dreadful… I
had to feel the window in my
room to try and figure out
what the weather outside was
like…”
- R.D.
“I feel by far that this has
been the hardest task trying
to accomplish throughout
my years at Stony Brook…”
- M.G.
Phase One
Know Your
Neighborhood
What is
Journalism?
Why do so many people
want to kill journalists?
Has the NY Times
Committed Treason?
Is Jon Stewart a
journalist?
Jon Stewart
25%
of college
students go to
him for news
Is all information of
equal value?
Key Elements: The Grid
Video News
Releases
“What’s Real?”
KGUN-9 (Tucson, AZ)
Are bloggers
journalists?
What is News?
&
Who Decides?
Why News Matters
• Pakistan
• Oil Prices
• Presidential Politics
• The Rising Costs of College Tuition
• Health Insurance
• Crime on Campus
• Weekly News Logs
Phase Two
Deconstructing
The News
What is difference
between news and
opinion?
What’s the difference
between assertion
and verification?
What’s the difference
between inference
and evidence?
How do you know if
a news source is
reliable?
The 5 Sourcing Rules
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Names sources are better than unnamed
sources
Authoritative sources are better than
uninformed sources
Independent sources are better than self
interested sources
Sources who verify are better than
sources who assert
Multiple sources are better than single
sources
Open
The
Freezer!
What is news bias
and what is
audience bias?
What do college
women do on
Spring Break?
Cognitive Dissonance
• People distort incoming information that contradicts
their point of view.
• People tend to pursue information that only reflects their
point of view. (This is called “confirmation bias.”)
• People disassociate messages from sources
(the “sleeper effect”).
•When they do remember sources, people selectively
describe messages as coming from sources who are
known to be more reliable.
•People experience a strong pressure
to conform to popular opinion.
“Hostile Media Effect”
• A belief among partisans
that news reports are
painting them in the worst
possible light.
The War in Lebanon, 1982
• People who are deeply involved in one side of an issue
or another are quicker to spot and remember aspects
of a news story that are negative.
• The best-informed partisans are the most likely to see
bias.
Phase Three
TV and The Net
Why you can’t be a couch potato
Rules for the
TV News
Consumer
BE AWARE OF
THE SINNERS
Be aware of stories that
have a point of view
from the beginning and
don’t show another side
or refer to another point
of view to the story.
Be suspicious of
manipulation – music, slow
motion, quick editing and
other production
techniques can be used to
create a mood. Be aware
of video that is gratuitous;
overused; titillating.
Be aware of stories
with none or only one
eyewitness; no
sourcing; meaningless
sound bites.
Be aware of staging.
Use your common
sense when watching
a TV news story.
LOOK FOR
THE
WINNERS
Look for differing
viewpoints of a
controversial story.
Look for
comprehensive news
stories.
Did I get the “who, what
where, when, why”
questions answered?
Look for first-hand accounts;
good sourcing; articulate,
credible eyewitnesses along
with independent verified
information.
(“CH5 News has learned…”)
Look for good
storytelling.
Look for short, clear writing
and conversational tone.
Who is
George
Turklebaum?
Worker dead at desk for 5 days
Birmingham, UK
7th Jan 2001
Bosses of a publishing firm are trying to work out why no one
noticed that one of their employees had been sitting dead at his desk
for five days before anyone asked if he was feeling okay.
George Turklebaum, 51, who had been employed as a proofreader at a New York firm for 30 years, had a heart attack in the openplan office he shared with 23 other workers. He quietly passed away
on Monday, but nobody noticed until Saturday morning when an office
cleaner asked why he was still working during the weekend.
His boss Elliot Wachiaski said: "George was always the first guy
in each morning and the last to leave at night, so no one found it
unusual that he was in the same position all that time and didn't say
anything. He was always absorbed in his work and kept much to
himself."
A post mortem examination revealed that he had been dead for
five days after suffering a coronary. Ironically, George was
proofreading manuscripts of medical textbooks when he died.
You may want to give your co-workers a nudge occasionally.
Evaluating
a Web Page
This site is run by Don Black,
former KKK Grand Wizard
It is hosted by
Stormfront.org, a white
supremacy organization.
Rules for Evaluating Web Info

Domain names - But only with caution! Use Whois to find domain name
owner: http://www.internic.net/whois.html

Authority – Who is responsible? What does the site’s “About Us” tell you?
Is the individual or organization reputable?

Accuracy – Is the info correct? Are sources cited properly? Are there
typos? If necessary, check site in hoaxbuster sites such as
http://Snopes.com or http://Purportal.com

Objectivity – Are they selling you something? If a bias exists is it clearly
stated?

Currency – Is the information current? Are the links working? Is there an
update date for the content?

Coverage – Is it scholarly or just for fun? Are both sides of an issue
addressed? It this an original work or is it a modified version of something
else?
Lessons for the News
Consumer
• The Internet provides unprecedented
advantages to access and evaluate news.
Maximize its advantages.
• Remember, story rank doesn’t guarantee
reliability or importance
• On the Internet, there is a greater need - and a
greater ability - to check sources, check sources,
check sources
• Being a smart news consumer in
the digital age is hard work
But are we
any
smarter?
PEW Study
What
Americans
Know:
1989-2007
Survey Report Released:
April 2007
Source: Pew Research Center for
the People & the Press
Phase Four
Choosing News
You Can Trust
Top 10 Tips
For News
Consumers
1. Know what information neighborhood
you’re in.
2. In the journalism neighborhood know the
difference between news and opinion.
3. Follow a story over time.
4. Evaluate sources, evaluate sources!
5. Always ask yourself: Did the reporter
open the freezer?
6. Apply the common sense test.
7. Be open to information that challenges
your biases and assumptions.
8. Choose multiple brands that you trust.
9. Be an aggressive news consumer. Being a
good news consumer in the digital age is
hard work.
10. Make time for the news.
Student
Feedback
Did this course meet
your expectations?
No. I thought it would be
an easy A.
Our Next Goal
To teach 10,000 Students
In the next four years.
The Center For
News Literacy
Mission Of The
Center
To become the
nationally-recognized
center for educating
current and future
consumers on how to judge
the reliability and
credibility of news.
Goals Of The
Center
• To become a major resource for media
outlets, educational institutions and the
general public.
• To use Stony Brook University as a
cutting edge laboratory to explore how to
best teach key concepts and applications
to college students.
• To share successful syllabus materials
with other Universities around the nation
and world.
Goals Of The
Center
• To develop the nation’s first High School
Curriculum in News Literacy.
• To become a National clearinghouse for
best practices and new research in the field.
• To train the first generation of News
Literacy Fellows, Speakers and Scholars,
who will extend the principles of News
Literacy to the general public. Through
innovative web-based programs, seminars,
books and special presentations.
Ford Foundation
Grant
Award $200,000

Goals
 Development of news literacy web site.
 Development of pilot program for high
school students.
 Development of pilot program for the
general public.
 Fall 2008 - Host a major conference on
News Literacy for Journalists,
Educators and Scholars from across the
nation.
News Literacy
Enrollment
 660 Students
 3 Lecture Sections
 23 Recitations
NEXT SEMESTER:
872* Students
4 Lecture Sections
32 Recitations
*Projected Enrollment