America is suffering from a misinformation crisis. A 2020 Collaborative Multi-Racial Post-Election Survey concluded that 57 percent of white Americans believe there might have been voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, with another 26 percent certain of voter fraud. This statistic is extremely concerning considering there has been no evidence to support the claims of a fraudulent election. Misinformation, or “fake news,” has contributed to growing instability and division in our country, causing Americans to distrust people with differing political opinions. To fix this trend, we need to teach the next generation of Americans media literacy. Media literate students will possess the ability to analyze the credibility and bias behind media in newspapers, television, social media, and more. Our youth must develop these skills to grow into upstanding citizens who will strengthen our democracy and the future of our country.

In an age of rising misinformation, it is important we teach students to distinguish credible sources from misleading or manipulated information. Social media is a key contributor to the rise in misinformation we have seen in America over the last decade. A 2022 Statista survey found that millennials' primary news source is social media. Furthermore, a 2023 Pew Research survey found that most adults prefer to get their news from digital devices. As our population ages and children who grew up on social media become adults, they must understand how to identify biases and falsehoods in their news sources. Therefore, to create a smarter, more politically informed American citizenry, it is important we instruct our students on how to identify reliable sources.

Media literacy might seem advanced, but implementation of these skills can begin as early as elementary or middle school. Analyzing advertisements is a productive first step for teaching media literacy to young students as it can teach children how to identify false depictions of reality through simple examples. For example, teachers could show students an advertisement depicting unattainable beauty standards where a model uses a beauty product. Teachers could explain that this advertisement is manipulative because it makes people feel as though they could look like a beautiful actress if they also used the beauty product. Additionally, teachers could also encourage young students to question what advertisements tell them and search for the true meaning and messages behind the veiled surface. Educators could foster these discussions by encouraging students to contemplate their feelings after seeing an ad and by having them consider which words or images made them have those feelings. As students grow older, they can interact with actual examples of news articles and have students find specific diction in an article that indicates bias. However, if teachers show students specific news articles to prove bias, they must remain nonpartisan by showing examples of right-leaning and left-leaning news outlets using biased writing tactics. Starting at young ages, it would be feasible to instate media literacy in schools.

Critics might say it is hard to implement another item into an already packed curriculum, but media literacy does not have to be an individual subject and can be easily integrated into social studies, science, and English classes. In social studies classes, teachers could discuss historical examples of bias in primary sources within every historical curriculum. One course into which we could implement media literacy is AP US History. Document-based questions – commonly referred to as DBQs – are one section of the AP exam, and one part of these questions could test media literacy by having students evaluate potential issues around the credibility and bias in the documents. In science classes, teachers could talk about the psychology behind every person having bias, whether conscious or implicit. Finally, in English class, students could analyze how to identify misleading or opinionated syntax and diction. They could also learn common logical fallacies and know how to identify them in the media and everyday life. Most importantly, these skills will teach students how to navigate the many news sources available and create an intelligent and informed population. Secondarily, media literacy would equip students with a set of tools that would help them think critically in all of their classes, leading to better analytical thinking and performance in school. 

In today’s world, anyone with a social media account can be the news source driving the thinking of thousands–if not millions–of people. Social media is a place where even fringe, violent, extremist groups have been able to find a home. Even off of social media, TV news, newspapers, and online news have grown more biased since 2014. With misinformation deeply embedded in our current media culture, it is imperative that we teach students how to recognize the credibility and bias of a news source, so they grow up to be politically informed citizens.