CalMatters
Pushing back against the surge of misinformation online, California will now require all K-12 students to learn media literacy skills — such as recognizing fake news and thinking critically about what they encounter on the internet.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last month signed Assembly Bill 873, which requires the state to add media literacy to curriculum frameworks for English language arts, science, math and history-social studies, rolling out gradually beginning next year. Instead of a stand-alone class, the topic will be woven into existing classes and lessons throughout the school year.
“I’ve seen the impact that misinformation has had in the real world — how it affects the way people vote, whether they accept the outcomes of elections, try to overthrow our democracy,” said the bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Marc Berman, a Democrat from Menlo Park. “This is about making sure our young people have the skills they need to navigate this landscape.”
The new law comes amid rising public distrust in the media, especially among young people. A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that adults under age 30 are nearly as likely to believe information on social media as they are from national news outlets. Overall, only 7% of adults have “a great deal” of trust in the media, according to a Gallup poll conducted last year.
Media literacy can help change that, advocates believe, by teaching students how to recognize reliable news sources and the crucial role that media plays in a democracy.
“The increase in Holocaust denial, climate change denial, conspiracy theories getting a foothold, and now AI … all this shows how important media literacy is for our democracy right now,” said Jennifer Ormsby, library services manager for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. “The 2016 election was a real eye-opener for everyone on the potential harms and dangers of fake news.”
“Media literacy is a basic part of being literate. If we’re just teaching kids how to read, and not think critically about what they’re reading, we’re doing them a disservice.”
Ricardo Elizalde, teacher on special assignment at san francisco unified
AB 873 passed nearly unanimously in the Legislature, underscoring the nonpartisan nature of the topic. Nationwide, Texas, New Jersey and Delaware have also passed strong media literacy laws, and more than a dozen other states are moving in that direction, according to Media Literacy Now, a nonprofit research organization that advocates for media literacy in K-12 schools.
Still, California’s law falls short of Media Literacy Now’s recommendations. California’s approach doesn’t include funding to train teachers, an advisory committee, input from librarians, surveys or a way to monitor the law’s effectiveness.
Keeping the bill simple, though, was a way to help ensure its passage, Berman said. Those features can be implemented later, and he felt it was urgent to pass the law quickly so students can start receiving media literacy education as soon as possible. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024, as the state begins updating its curriculum frameworks, although teachers are encouraged to teach media literacy now.
Berman’s law builds on a previous effort in California to bring media literacy to K-12 classrooms. In 2018, Senate Bill 830 required the California Department of Education to provide media literacy resources — lesson plans, project ideas, background — to the state’s K-12 teachers. But it didn’t make media literacy mandatory.
The new law also overlaps somewhat with California’s effort to bring computer science education to all students. The state hopes to expand computer science, which can include aspects of media literacy, to all students, possibly even requiring it to graduate from high school. Newsom recently signed Assembly Bill 1251, which creates a commission to look at ways to recruit more computer science teachers to California classrooms. Berman is also sponsoring Assembly Bill 1054, which would require high schools to offer computer science classes. That bill is currently stalled in the Senate.
Understanding media, and creating it
Teachers don’t need a state law to show students how to be smart media consumers, and some have been doing it for years. Merek Chang, a high school science teacher at Hacienda La Puente Unified in the City of Industry east of Los Angeles, said the pandemic was a wake-up call for him.
During remote learning, he gave students two articles on the origins of the coronavirus. One was an opinion piece from the New York Post, a tabloid, and the other was from a scientific journal. He asked students which they thought was accurate. More than 90% chose the Post piece.
“It made me realize that we need to focus on the skills to understand content, as much as we focus on the content itself,” Chang said.
He now incorporates media literacy in all aspects of his lesson plans. He relies on the Stanford History Education Group, which offers free media literacy resources for teachers, and took part in a KQED media literacy program for teachers.
In addition to teaching students how to evaluate online information, he shows them how to create their own media. Homework assignments include making TikTok-style videos on protein synthesis for mRNA vaccines, for example. Students then present their projects at home or at lunchtime events for families and the community.
“The biggest impact, I’ve noticed, is that students feel like their voice matters,” Chang said. “The work isn’t just for a grade. They feel like they’re making a difference.”
Ormsby, the Los Angeles County librarian, has also been promoting media literacy for years. Librarians generally have been on the forefront of media literacy education, and California’s new law refers to the Modern School Library Standards for media literacy guidelines.
Ormsby teaches concepts like “lateral reading” (comparing an online article with other sources to check for accuracy) and reverse imaging (searching online to trace a photo to its original source or checking if it’s been altered). She also provides lesson plans, resources and book recommendations such as “True or False: A CIA analyst’s guide to spotting fake news” and, for elementary students, “Killer Underwear Invasion! How to spot fake news, disinformation & conspiracy theories.”
She’s happy that the law passed, but would like to see librarians included in the rollout and the curriculum implemented immediately, not waiting until the frameworks are updated.
“The increase in Holocaust denial, climate change denial, conspiracy theories getting a foothold, and now AI. All this shows how important media literacy is for our democracy right now.”
Jennifer Ormsby, library services manager for the Los Angeles County Office of Education
The gradual implementation of the law was deliberate, since schools are already grappling with so many other state mandates, said Alvin Lee, executive director of Generation Up, a student-led advocacy group that was among the bill’s sponsors. He’s hoping that local school boards decide to prioritize the issue on their own by funding training for teachers and moving immediately to get media literacy into classrooms.
“Disinformation contributes to polarization, which we’re seeing happen all over the world,” said Lee, a junior at Stanford who said it’s a top issue among his classmates. “Media literacy can address that.”
In San Francisco Unified, Ricardo Elizalde is a teacher on special assignment who trains elementary teachers in media literacy. His staff gave out 50 copies of “Killer Underwear!” for teachers to build activities around, and encourages students to make their own media, as well.
Elementary school is the perfect time to introduce the topic, he said.
“We get all these media thrown at us from a young age, we have to learn to defend ourselves,” Elizalde said. “Media literacy is a basic part of being literate. If we’re just teaching kids how to read, and not think critically about what they’re reading, we’re doing them a disservice.”
This article was originally published by CalMatters.
Good! Teach kids to verify sources and fact check, not to get sucked into a MAGA cult
Ha, as if MAGA was the only cultish purveyors of misinformation. Oh right, I forgot, it’s (D)ifferent when they do it.
Critical thinking skills include seeing through such tu quoque and strawman fallacies as VoR routinely employs. Anon did not claim that the MAGA cult is the only source of misinformation, but VoR’s comment is clearly intended to defend MAGA by deflecting the criticism of it. “(D)ifferent when they do it” is clearly projection here. Never will you see VoR criticize MAGA or admit that it is a cult that purveys disinformation. Never will you see him acknowledge the vast amounts of disinformation that he has posted about climate, the economy, Russia and Trump, etc. Never will you see him take any responsibility for his own falsehoods or those he is politically aligned with. For him, it is indeed different when they do it.
Sounds like you should take this class dalgorf as you fail to realize the amount of misinformation you, at least at one point, believed and how that has shaped your views. Misinformation is still misinformation even if you agree with it.
Again, critical thinking teaches one to see through such hypocritical tu quoque strawman arguments. VoR completely ignored and dismissed everything I said, and instead tries to attack me in the most absurd, irrelevant, dishonest, hypocritically projecting way. I readily admit (rather than fail to realize) that I have believed, and still do believe, misinformation … but unlike VoR I try not to.
You’re right Voice, there are other cultish purveyors of misinformation out there, MAGA is just one of them. There’s also Qanon, Scientology, NXIVM, Order of the Solar Temple, and whatever church Mike Johnson attends.
Yes, of course, misinformation only comes from the right. The left are always honest and genuine purveyors information, nothing but the whole and complete truth from them, no agenda or bias whatsoever. And on the occasions they aren’t, its for our own good….
“misinformation only comes from the right”
Kindly list for us all of the misinformation that comes from the right. If you won’t do that then your complaints about others having double standards are clearly hypocritical projection.
I get you like to argue for the sake of arguing but the facts and historical evidence of what’s happening around us isn’t attacking one side of the political aisle or the other. It’s simply showing that people who lie about elections and storm capitals based on lies will be prosecuted, and that happens to be MAGA right now. There’s corruption on both sides, it’s just that one faction of a political party is dominating the scene at the moment.
It doesn’t “just happen to be MAGA right now.” That’s letting the Republican party off the hook and creating a false equivalency between the parties.
Only the Republican party is currently off the rails; resistant to facts, welcoming outrageous conspiracy theories, indulging in extremely unprofessional behavior, and worse. Like 45’s plans for retaking office.
The parties at this time cannot be compared.
Let the truth out…it will defend itself…
That line is used as a defense of Hitler and Nazism. I saw it in a media analysis of his popularity on twitter.
1984 thought police
Not suppressing thoughts, people are still able to spread and believe all the misinformation they want. This is just teaching kids to seek out facts and not take social media posts as truthful and verified information. That’s a good thing right?
Depends on who/what is doing the fact checking…
The article clearly states it’s teaching kids to do it for themselves. That whole self reliance, pull yourself up by your bootstraps thing.
Critical thinking includes reading comprehension skills. Who is doing the fact checking here is “kids”, as part of teaching them how to do it.
“How dare they teach children to see through my propaganda.”
Interesting post. Critical thinking is an absolutely essential concept for kids and adults, especially nowadays with a ton a garbage that people can read online. This bill/law makes sense to me as a concept, but implementation is going to be a tough road given the sad state of our schools currently, especially locally. The teachers are getting yanked around left and right already by the Admin’s who collect fat pay and never set foot in a classroom, and then the teachers are asked to try and teach kids this new thing?
So, where does critical thinking really come from? It’s a concept that goes way beyond the internet and fake news. Ask a professor, a doctor, a teacher, or someone who just reads a lot. Parents have to be able to help their own kids with this. Personally, I wouldn’t rely on your average 4th grade/9th grade/ whatever grade teacher to teach YOUR kid how to critically think. They’ll try, but this stuff in my opinion is usually best laid down at home.
Didn’t work for you.
Anon – thinking critically is why I’m where I am right now. It’s how people improve their place in life and don’t get fooled by fools. Your comment is stupid and baseless in my opinion.
Basic
Agree! But how about our kids learn to read first?
For the kids who are proficient in reading, this is a great added bonus. Now they can determine whether what they’re reading is fact or fiction.
Hammond’s – absolutely agree with you. If kids can’t read well how can they be expected to learn how to critically think?
Are we gonna talk about the proliferation of instances where Biden is shown to be practically senile that CNN doesn’t show?
At what point does “not showing some news” become the same thing as “fake news?”
Which incidents are these?
I saw Biden’s press conference after his meeting with Xi. He wasn’t senile. He answered questions without notes, and made sense. After a four hour meeting he was able to compose his thoughts and convey them in full, coherent sentences, on topic. Senile people can’t do that.
SBStoned is actually providing a remarkable case study in how people with no critical thinking skills latch on to and propagate utter nonsense.
Anon – If you haven’t seen it you’re providing the evidence for a case study on non-optical blindness to FACT.
Look up “Biden Stuttering” or “Is Joe Biden mentally sound” and click on the videos tab, and then tell me I have no critical thinking skills.
It’s funny, those of us who actually have critical thinking skills in California don’t vote left…
To a stoner, a speech impediment implies senility. Real good logic there. Typical con social media dupe.
Biden has famously had a stutter since he was a child. Are you suggesting those with stutters are incompetent?
I’m not talking about his actual “stutter” but his propensity to mutter seemingly unrelated mum o jumbo, fall down, not know what he is doing or why, seem dazed and confused, etc.
The amount of times he has answered questions in a direction that delineates entirely from the topic at hand, needed prompting from staff, not known which direction to exit the stage. You know?
Those incidents.
All of which are traits of senility btw.
Producing word salad could be a sign of senility, or just ignorance.
“mum o jumbo”???
“delineates”???
But we don’t think you’re senile.
… or to use incorrect words when trying to make a point – like “delineates” instead of “differs”?
“I’m not talking about his actual “stutter” ”
You’re lying as you always do … you wrote “Look up ““Biden Stuttering””.
As for the (illiterate) rest, it sounds like a description of Trump.
SBStoner, critical thinking requires one to examine a range of information, and assess not just its veracity, but its import. Clips of stumbles and gaffes does not prove senility. Anyone constantly on camera will have plenty of doofy moves to make fun of. Our job is to figure out which ones matter.
This is the sort of propaganda technique that critical thinking teaches people to see through.
A common Goebbels tactic is to attack the victim as both strong and weak. Thus Biden is both senile and a Marxist mastermind who hates America and is working to destroy it by raising the price of gas and real estate.
Is Biden senile? Newt Gingrich argues the opposite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re7Q2jk1yJE