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News and information about current events comes in many formats at various stages of the information cycle, from live-streamed videos to long-researched publications. These are some basic definitions of news media terms to frame and contextualize what's being communicated and by whom, what it means to be factual, and how information can be distorted or misunderstood.
Source: Stony Brook University Digital Resource Center's Glossary (Accessed December 2023)
Accountability: "Taking direct responsibility, by name, for the truthfulness and the reliability of the report. Examples include bylines in print and digital journalism and sign-offs in audio and video reports."
Balance: "Equality between the totals of the two (or more) sides of the account. Balance is a more technical term than fairness. It's a quantitative measurement that can be used as a tool to achieve fairness, especially in cases where the facts are in dispute or the truth is still developing."
Bias: "A predisposition that distorts your ability to fairly weigh the evidence and prevents you from reaching a fair or accurate judgment... Media Bias is a pattern of unfairness or willful inaccuracy over time by a specific journalist or news outlet. It cannot be proven by a single isolated incident. Audience Bias is a News Literacy term describing the tendency of individuals to see bias in news media reports because they are unconsciously viewing journalism through their own biases."
Cognitive Dissonance: "A psychological theory that holds people are so powerfully motivated to reduce their discomfort that they will dismiss, block or warp incoming information that does not conform with their beliefs, viewpoint or understanding of the truth."
Confirmation Bias: "Pursuing information that reassures or reflects a person’s particular point of view."
Context: "Background or ancillary information that is necessary to understand the scope, impact, magnitude or meaning of new facts reported as news ... the circumstances that form the setting for an event or statement ... ideas or facts that give greater meaning to a news report so that it can be fully understood and assessed."
Fairness: "Marked by impartiality and honesty. Free from self-interest, prejudice or favoritism. In controversial matters, fairness demands a courageous weighing of evidence to assure the report is fair to the facts."
Journalist: "A journalist’s primary mission is to inform the public while employing journalistic methods such as verification to uphold journalistic values in order to maintain independence and accountability."
News: "Timely information of some public interest that is shared and subject to a journalistic process of verification and for which an independent individual or organization is directly accountable."
News Literacy: "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."
Propaganda: "Information, ideas or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution or nation. It is often biased and misleading, in order to promote an ideology or point of view."
Raw Information: "Information that has yet to be examined or verified. It is unfiltered information that bypasses traditional gatekeepers and mediators."
Reliable Information: "Allows the news consumer to make a decision, take action or share responsibly with others. It has all three of these characteristics: Verification, Independence and Accountability."
Transparency: "When reporters share how they know what they know, what they don’t know and why."
Truth: "Events as they actually happened, phenomena as they actually exist, the universe as it actually exists, independent of what we have so far been able to learn of it. The term stands in contrast to Scientific Truth and Journalistic Truth, which describe human approaches to learning truth."
Verification: "The investigative process by which a news organization gathers, assesses, confirms and weighs evidence in service to the search for truth."
►►► Red Flags ►►►
It's suspicious if a news source does not publicly state their editorial policies or commitment to ethical journalism.
Specific examples of editorial guidelines and standards of journalistic practice:
With more news articles and media being created algorithmically (aka by "artificial intelligence"), it's increasingly important to know whether this information has been generated by a program or was written by a journalist. While some trustworthy sources use this technology, they also should be explicit and explain how they use these tools as part of their editorial guidelines. And when there is an author or byline, you should be able to click on the name of the author and read about their background and credentials as a journalist.
You should be able to know all about the organization responsible for this content and be able to read about their contributors and/or staff members.
► Online Verification Skills video series, hosted by Mike Caulfield and developed by CTRL+F, an evidence-based program that equips students with the habits and skills needed to evaluate online information to determine what to trust. This is the first video of a four-part series published in 2018.
Algorithms of Oppression by
A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms Run a Google search for "Black girls"--what will you find? "Big Booty" and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in "white girls," the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about "why Black women are so sassy" or "why Black women are so angry" presents a disturbing portrait of Black womanhood in modern society. In Algorithms of Oppression, Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color. Through an analysis of textual and media searches as well as extensive research on paid online advertising, Noble exposes a culture of racism and sexism in the way discoverability is created online. As search engines and their related companies grow in importance--operating as a source for email, a major vehicle for primary and secondary school learning, and beyond--understanding and reversing these disquieting trends and discriminatory practices is of utmost importance. An original, surprising and, at times, disturbing account of bias on the internet, Algorithms of Oppression contributes to our understanding of how racism is created, maintained, and disseminated in the 21st century.
Information Now, Second Edition by
Today's information environments are complex, and learning how to find relevant and reliable information online, as well as how to fact-check and evaluate that information, is essential. Enter Information Now, a graphic guide that uses humor and sequential art to teach students about information, research, and the web. This second edition of the popular guide incorporates critical analysis of information systems, asking students to think about the biases and problems in how databases and search engines are designed and used. It also addresses how different populations of people are disproportionately affected by the algorithmic biases built into information systems. And it includes revised critical thinking exercises in every chapter. Written and revised by library professionals, Information Now is a fun and insightful tool for high school and college students, writers, and anyone wanting to improve their research skills.
MLA Guide to Digital Literacy by
Updated edition providing students with hands-on strategies for digital literacy. The second edition of this best-selling classroom guide helps students understand why digital literacy is a crucial skill for their education, future careers, and participation in democracy. Offering practical guidance for assessing information online, this guide provides students with the tools to locate reliable sources among the clickbait and viral videos that pervade the web. The guide's hands-on activities, germane readings, and lesson plans give students strategies for reading and analyzing data visualizations; finding and evaluating credible sources; learning how to spot fake news; fact-checking; crafting a research question; effectively conducting searches on Googleand on library catalogs and databases; finding peer-reviewed publications; evaluating primary sources; and understanding disinformation and misinformation, filter bubbles, propaganda, and satire in a variety of sources--including websites, social media posts, infographics, videos, and more (on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube). New to the second edition: * attention to the ethical dimensions of digital technology, including privacy issues and bias in search algorithms--with an accompanying lesson plan * an emphasis on how digital literacy can help stem racism, sexism, ableism, and the persistence of harmful stereotypes * instruction on using inclusive research and citation practices to avoid perpetuating systemic bias * a new chapter, "Composing in Digital Spaces," that offers instruction in multimodal composition and foregrounds accessibility * a new and up-to-date reading, "The Real History of Fake News" * a section on avoiding plagiarism * updated references and examples * resource lists of digital tools, platforms, and software that can support the practices described in the guide
Pathways: Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking 4 by
Pathways, Second Edition, is a global, five-level academic English program. Carefully-guided lessons develop the language skills, critical thinking, and learning strategies required for academic success. Using authentic and relevant content from National Geographic, including video, charts, and other infographics, Pathways prepares students to work effectively and confidently in an academic environment.
Teaching Controversial Issues by
2018 Delta Kappa Gamma Educators Book Award In this book, eminent educational philosopher Nel Noddings and daughter Laurie Brooks explain how teachers can foster critical thinking through the exploration of controversial issues. The emphasis is on the use of critical thinking to understand and collaborate, not simply to win arguments. The authors describe how critical thinking that encourages dialogue across the school disciplines and across social/economic classes prepares students for participation in democracy. They offer specific, concrete strategies for addressing a variety of issues related to authority, religion, gender, race, media, sports, entertainment, class and poverty, capitalism and socialism, and equality and justice. The goal is to develop individuals who can examine their own beliefs, those of their own and other groups, and those of their nation, and can do so with respect and understanding for others' values. Book Features: Underscores the necessity of moral commitment in the use of critical thinking. Offers assistance for handling controversial issues that many teachers find unsettling. Proposes a way for students and teachers to work together across the disciplines.
Thinking, Fast and Slow by
*Major New York Times Bestseller *More than 2.6 million copies sold *One of The New York Times Book Review's ten best books of the year *Selected by The Wall Street Journal as one of the best nonfiction books of the year *Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient *Daniel Kahneman's work with Amos Tversky is the subject of Michael Lewis's best-selling The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds In his mega bestseller, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, world-famous psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, takes us on a groundbreaking tour of the mind and explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The impact of overconfidence on corporate strategies, the difficulties of predicting what will make us happy in the future, the profound effect of cognitive biases on everything from playing the stock market to planning our next vacation--each of these can be understood only by knowing how the two systems shape our judgments and decisions. Engaging the reader in a lively conversation about how we think, Kahneman reveals where we can and cannot trust our intuitions and how we can tap into the benefits of slow thinking. He offers practical and enlightening insights into how choices are made in both our business and our personal lives--and how we can use different techniques to guard against the mental glitches that often get us into trouble. Topping bestseller lists for almost ten years, Thinking, Fast and Slow is a contemporary classic, an essential book that has changed the lives of millions of readers.
Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers by 
Library Databases
Access with your OnePass, these include full-text articles, including the most recent articles from these publications' print editions.
A spreadsheet of the complete list of the 3,500+ publications available in this database, including descriptions and countries of publication (as of December 2023)
News Websites
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