News Literacy Research Articles

Developing and Validating a 15-Item True/False Measure of News Literacy Knowledge

Given growing interest in the potential importance of news literacy around the world, a theoretically grounded and empirically validated measure of news literacy is essential. Building on existing theory, we developed and validated a 15-item true/false measure of news literacy knowledge. This measure comprehensively operationalizes the five C’s of news literacy—context, creation, content, circulation, and consumption—in a concise, adaptable, knowledge-based format. Using item response theory and differential item functioning analysis, we followed a three-survey process with representative U.S. samples, developing and assessing 80 true/false items in Study 1 ( N = 1,502) to reduce to 43 items in Study 2 ( N = 1,273). The final reduced set of 15 items was evaluated and validated in Study 3 ( N = 681) along with related measures of civics and current events knowledge, which were positively predicted by the news literacy knowledge measure. While this measure is designed and tested in the U.S. context, our process of operationalizing these complicated concepts and the novel true/false format facilitates its applicability to those interested in studying news literacy around the globe.

News Literacy and Critical Thinking in the Pacific: Evidence from Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands

ABSTRACT This study analyzes data from surveys conducted in two Pacific Island communities—Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands—to assess relationships among news literacy, news literacy efficacy, critical thinking about content, and news credibility. Results, on the one hand, show that news literacy is positively associated with both critical thinking about content and news literacy efficacy. On the other hand, news literacy is negatively related to news credibility. Also, the positive association between news literacy and critical thinking about content is mediated by news literacy efficacy. Results support the role of news literacy in facilitating critical thinking about news messages across the two sociocultural settings. We discuss theoretical implications of findings.

Finding “fake” in the news: the relationship between social media use, political knowledge, epistemic political efficacy and fake news literacy

PurposeIn the past few years, research focusing on misinformation, referred to broadly as fake news, has experienced revived attention. Past studies have focused on explaining the ways in which people correct it online and on social media. However, fewer studies have dealt with the ways in which people are able to identify fake news (i.e. fake news literacy). This study contributes to the latter by theoretically connect people’s general social media use, political knowledge and political epistemic efficacy with individuals’ fake news literacy levels.Design/methodology/approachA diverse and representative two-wave panel survey in the United States was conducted (June 2019 for Wave 1, October 2019 for Wave 2). We performed cross-sectional, lagged and autoregressive regression analyses to examined how social media us, people’s political knowledge and political epistemic efficacy are related to their fake news literacy.FindingsResults suggest that the more people used social media, were politically knowledgeable and considered they were able to find the truth in politics (i.e. epistemic political efficacy), the more likely they were to discern whether the news is fake. Implications of helping media outlets and policy makers be better positioned to provide the public with corrective action mechanisms in the struggle against fake news are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsThe measurement instrument employed in the study relies on subjects’ self-assessment, as opposed to unobtrusive trace (big) digital data, which may not completely capture the nuances of people’s social media news behaviors.Practical implicationsThis study sheds light on how the way people understand politics and gain confidence in finding political truth may be key elements when confronting and discerning fake news. With the help of these results, journalists, media outlets and policymakers may be better positioned to provide citizens with efficient, preemptive and corrective action mechanisms in the struggle against misinformation.Originality/valueRecent literature highlights the importance of literacy education to contest fake news, but little is known about what specific mechanisms would contribute to foster and reinvigorate people’s fake news literacy. This study helps address this gap.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-03-2024-0140

Data Journalism Practices in Turkey During COVID-19: Methods, Narratives, News Production, and Future Directions

ABSTRACT This research investigates data journalism practices in Turkey during the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring their current usage, development, and prospects. The research focuses on data journalism methods, narrative structures, and journalists’ approaches to news production processes, including the use of big data and access to open data. The semi-structured interviews with 15 journalists were coded and analyzed using an interactive and cyclical method within a phenomenological research design. The findings indicate that journalists maintain pre-pandemic habits and that the COVID-19 big data did not significantly alter news production practices. Journalists are interested in data’s potential, processing skills, and analysis. They receive encouragement, technological opportunities, and training. However, journalists face challenges such as the need for an open data culture, innovative perspectives, revenue models, pressure for breaking news, loss of reader loyalty, reader habits, and news literacy levels. The findings reveal the experiences of journalists by comparing a critical period such as the pandemic with its predecessors and explain the critical factors influencing the development of data journalism. It also highlights implications for the future of data journalism in Turkey and suggests ways to encourage innovation in news production processes.

Does news literacy help combat misinformation? The interplay of news literacy, political ideology, and ideological media use on COVID-19 misperceptions

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic heightened the urgency of working across lines of political difference to combat misinformation. This paper asks: Does having news literacy matter in reducing misperceptions, and importantly, for whom does having news literacy matter? Using a national survey of US adults (N = 1700) that included the largest set of COVID-19-related misperceptions examined to date (k = 84), we tested how the effects of news literacy on misperceptions vary across ideology and ideological media consumption. Although holding a higher level of news literacy is associated with fewer misperceptions in general, it helps conservatives less than it helps liberals. Moreover, although news literacy is associated with mitigating the misperception-inducing effect of ideological media consumption on both ends of the political spectrum, this potential benefit appears to be weaker for conservative media use than for liberal media use. Finally, the benefit of having news literacy is maximized among cross-cutting consumers of ideological media but dampened among like-minded consumers, particularly conservatives with heavy conservative media consumption. We discuss the implications of our findings for identifying subgroups for future news literacy interventions and understanding the potentials and challenges of using news literacy to combat misinformation in a polarized climate.

Examining the Relationship Between Dispositional News Literacy and Discernment of Real and Misleading News: Cross-national Evidence

Examining the Relationship Between Dispositional News Literacy and Discernment of Real and Misleading News: Cross-national Evidence

Examining adolescents’ systematic and heuristic credibility evaluation strategies of online news

ABSTRACT In an online environment where mis- and disinformation are flourishing, credibility evaluations of online news have become vital. The information processing literature suggests that individuals can either engage in systematic or in heuristic credibility evaluations, but whether this also applies to evaluations of online news and to the adolescent population is still unclear. Using an online survey (N = 338) with Flemish 15–19-year-olds, we examine adolescents’ credibility evaluation strategies. Adolescents reported using significantly more systematic evaluations than heuristic evaluations. Moreover, our findings revealed that only systematic evaluations contributed to their perceived credibility evaluation skills. Lastly, media use did not predict their credibility evaluation strategy, and attitudes and knowledge about the news only partially predicted systematic credibility evaluations. These findings are valuable for future research on credibility evaluation strategies and for practitioners and educators focusing on news literacy and credibility evaluation skills.

초등 학습자를 위한 뉴스 리터러시 수업 프로그램 개발 연구

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a program for news literacy classes for elementary school students.
 Methods: In this research, we examined theories related to news literacy before analyzing curriculum, textbooks, and students' comprehension patterns to develop a program for news literacy classes.
 Results: The objectives of the news literacy class were presented by dividing them into the areas of knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The instructional stages were proposed as five steps: access, analyze, evaluate, produce, and reflect.
 Conclusion: News literacy classes should cultivate elementary school students' abilities to access, comprehend, judge, and engage in productive and collaborative communication with the news. It is hoped that the results of this study can serve as foundational material for designing media-related lessons in elementary school.

Analysis of Media Influence on Military Decision-Making

Information warfare challenges, including the "CNN Effect," are increasing in quantity and complexity as the internet saturates modern life. Media communications, reliable or not, are constantly injected into American life, affecting opinions, decision-making, and actions—which may result in terrifying and permanent consequences when the media influences military members and government leaders. This research focuses on the immersive learning environment—an engaging, simulation-based educational experience with realistic conflict scenarios where students apply lesson objectives through hands-on activities. Instructors conduct immersive learning in the US Air Force Academy's (USAFA) Multi-Domain Laboratory. Traditionally, students were taught military strategy in a classroom where they engaged in wargaming by rolling dice using a board game. Now, the Military & Strategic Studies (MSS) Department uses hands-on, real-time wargaming with unique hardware and software to teach future leaders how to apply classroom concepts using experiential learning. Wargames are critical for meeting the priorities of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—specifically, preparing leaders to conduct joint operations in all domains by integrating experiential learning. The guidance explains that "curricula should leverage live, virtual, constructive, and gaming methodologies with wargames… to develop deeper insight and ingenuity." The wargame with media provides external influences like news and information from various sources, which may influence students' decision-making process, resulting in "The CNN Effect." "The CNN Effect" is a short-hand way to explain how news reports drive government leaders' responses, including military decision-making. This project builds upon existing research uniquely because this study examines decision-making from multiple leaders based on the same simulated media in USAFA's immersive learning environment. This research uses mixed methods analysis to explore how students act based on the wargame media inputs and compare course outcome differences after receiving enhanced Information Operations education or when exposed to different quantities of broadcasts. The Information Warfare (news literacy) module enhances education on the media's influence on decision-making and trust for students. Students learned to identify and research information sources, analyze biases, opinion versus fact-based reporting, and compare news reports from various outlets.

Exploring News Media Literacy and its Dimensions

Our civic and democratic participation mostly relies on the quality of the news we consume. In this study, news media literacy dimensions are explored. It looks at how intrinsic motivation, news media skepticism, and media locus of control relate to one's knowledge of news media. It adopted the measure of news media literacy, which defines who a news media literate is. Through a two-part questionnaire on a media knowledge test and self-reported news literacy dimensions sent to Grade 11 students of a Philippine private high school, results show that the students have a low news media literacy level. The absence of a news literacy course is considered a reason for this. Results also challenge the idea that higher news literacy levels result in higher levels of intrinsic motivation, news media skepticism, and media locus of control. Although the results indicate evidence of these factors, knowledge structure appears irrelevant in one's motivation to consume and engage in news media, levels of news media skepticism, and media locus of control. Recent news literacy studies have identified other factors, such as the need for cognition and social norms, as legitimate considerations when understanding news literacy dimensions. These findings lead to the importance of adding news literacy competencies, which are recommended for the high school curriculum. Further research on other dimensions, such as those identified earlier, is recommended as news literacy is a developing area of news media literacy study.

Rethinking education in the light of post-truth “new” racism and xenophobia: the need for critical intercultural media and news literacy

Rethinking education in the light of post-truth “new” racism and xenophobia: the need for critical intercultural media and news literacy

Helping young students cope with the threat of fake news: efficacy of news literacy training for junior-secondary school students in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT As fake news proliferates, the urgency to educate young students in news literacy grows. Research indicates that while young adolescent students recognize the detrimental impact that fake news has on society, they lack the knowledge and motivation to combat it. We conducted news literacy training with 101 Hong Kong students (aged 11 to 14) evaluating their news literacy, susceptibility to fake news, perceived responsibility, as well as motivation to engage in protective behaviours. The training significantly enhanced participants’ news media knowledge, perceived control, and reduced their vulnerability to fake news. Participants became more motivated to report fake news, warn others, suggest alternative sources, and manage preferences to filter our problematic news sources. Participants also demonstrated an improved ability to evaluate the credibility of a real-world news article. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the training for this age group and suggest its potential for implementation in junior secondary-school classrooms.

News Literacy in the System of Library and Information Knowledge

News Literacy in the System of Library and Information Knowledge

Fake news and youngsters’ decision journey: An evaluation of the influence of misinformation on social media

Purpose: Social media has changed the way users interact with each other, and has become an important part of numerous lives. However, there is an increasing flow of implausible content circulating on social media, which points to the need for some categorization and regulation. This study will examine how the proliferation of fake news on social media impacts students and their choice of university. To answer this question, market research was conducted on the precedents that affect the acceptance of fake news among university students when choosing to study for a master's degree that will help them in their professional careers.Design/methodology/approach: The study used a quantitative method. A parsimonious model of causal relationships was proposed based on scales taken from the literature, assessed by a convenience sample of students, and adjusted by structural equation modelling (SEM).Findings: Results show that the parsimonious model explains 35% of fake news acceptance and that media dependency (ISMD) and parasocial interaction (PSI) are the main direct effects, while perceived media richness (PR) has a significant indirect influence on the attitude towards fake news and, consequently, on its acceptance. Furthermore, fake news literacy plays a correct moderating role with the most relevant source of influence, SNS dependency.Research limitations: A convenience sample was used, and a parsimonious model with three antecedent factors and one mediating factor was proposed. Other social factors could have been considered, including multicultural variables.Practical implications: The results point to students' expressed dependence on social networks as the main factor explaining their attitude towards fake news, negatively moderated by students' level of knowledge about the importance of this phenomenon in social networks. Therefore, it is relevant to promote knowledge about this phenomenon among students to reduce its influence on decision-making processes.Originality/value: This paper provides a novel context for the study of the proliferation of fake news on social networks: the process of choosing a university by students addicted to the news circulating on social media.

Testing an intervention to stimulate early adolescents’ news literacy application in the Netherlands: A classroom experiment

ABSTRACT In a time of blurring lines between online content, early adolescents’ (12–15 years old) lack of critical engagement with news is problematic. Therefore, we need more effective interventions to empower their news literacy. Interventions should go beyond only informing on the news production process and focus on individual’s news literacy application in everyday life. This study tests an intervention based on (news) media literacy and motivational theory, inspired by the needs and preferences of early adolescents themselves, to stimulate news literacy elements (news literacy self-efficacy, value for media literacy, motivation, and social norms) and news literacy application (news consumption, news analysis, and news evaluation). The intervention consists of three lessons in which early adolescents (N = 258) learn about the news production process, combined with a learning-by-doing approach: writing and checking news articles. Based on a between-subjects waitlist experiment, the intervention was effective in increasing participants’ news literacy self-efficacy, but not (yet) in stimulating other news literacy elements and news literacy application. Nevertheless, this experiment offers valuable insights on the development of news literacy interventions.

Research on the Impact of Post-Truth News Events on Peoples Media Literacy: Taking TikTok Feminist Topics as an Example

With the development of electronic media, media communication platforms have become mass-marketed. Technologically empowered non-professional journalists can also publish news on public communication channels. The greatly lowered barrier to entry for news dissemination practitioners can lead to the emergence of poor-quality content that lacks depth, accuracy, and authority on the Internet. Therefore, through literature research and hierarchical interviews with users of the ShakeNews platform, this paper takes news events on feminist topics on the ShakeNews platform as a starting point, focusing on how the emergence of post-truth reversal news affects the audiences news literacy. The specific research questions of this paper are: Does the reverse news have an impact on the audiences news literacy? How? What are the influencing factors? Will the audiences news literacy continue to decline under the impact of reverse news? There is an impact of reverse news events on the news literacy of the public. Specifically, it is manifested in: the impact of attitudes towards news events. The impact on the attitude of the news protagonist and the audiences thoughts on obtaining information; The impact on the audiences information processing skills.

Perils of political engagement? Examining the relationship between online political participation and perceived electoral integrity during 2020 US election

ABSTRACT The 2020 US election witnessed a surge of false claims on social media platforms asserting electoral fraud. Consequently, we ask the question, would greater online political engagement reduce perceived electoral integrity? We also explore whether the effects of online political participation on electoral integrity are contingent upon partisanship and news literacy. We use responses from a two-wave online panel survey conducted in the US before the November 2020 Presidential elections. Autoregressive regression models are employed to test the hypotheses. First, the findings suggest that those who engaged in greater online political engagement were more likely to doubt electoral integrity. Next, Republicans and those with lower levels of news literacy were also more skeptical of the electoral process. Further, moderation analyses suggest that the adverse effects of online political participation on perceived electoral integrity were more significant for Democrats and Independents than Republicans (perhaps because of ceiling effects). Finally, the relationship between online political participation and evaluations of electoral integrity is not contingent upon news literacy. Overall, the findings offer insight into how online political participation may erode electoral integrity for online users.

The challenge of defining news literacy: Perceptions from the UK news literacy sector

Recent research has lamented a lack of theoretical clarity around the term news literacy, calling on the academy to produce tighter, more nuanced definitions. Vraga, described news literacy as a “bloated” term, warning in another paper that the movement was at a tipping point. If scholars want to do their bit by offering concrete guidelines to those delivering initiatives, they argued, agreement as to what news literacy actually is, and how it should be evaluated, must be reached. This paper seeks to aid this process by providing insights about how news literacy is conceived and operationalised by those delivering such education to UK. Drawn from in-depth interviews with practitioners linked to five news literacy projects in the UK conducted in summer 2021, it finds that far from there being agreement in the sector as to what news literacy is, or indeed what it could be, the term as deployed by UK practitioners is equally ‘bloated’ and lacking in clear definition. This has implications for the ability of the sector to promote itself, champion its priorities or conduct evaluation work against clear and relevant metrics. By highlighting this lack of clarity around definitions in the UK context, this study adds international weight to existing work stemming primarily from the US. It also demonstrates the need for greater clarity of terminology so that news literacy concepts including critical thinking are not lost within increasingly broad and instrumental skills-focussed definitions of a wider media literacy.

Do You Know What Fake News Is? An Exploration of and Intervention to Increase Youth’s Fake News Literacy

Youth should be correctly informed about what is happening in the world, but research on empowering people to identify fake news rarely targets youth. To take the first steps in increasing their fake news literacy, this study ( N = 298) qualitatively looks into youth’s (10–12 years old) fake news knowledge and quantitatively tests a fake news e-learning intervention (i.e., an online lesson in which youth learn about fake news and possible solutions). Our investigation of youth’s fake news knowledge showed that, before participating in the intervention, youth already had some knowledge of what fake news is and were aware of its problem. The intervention aimed to increase youth’s knowledge, awareness, and self-efficacy toward fake news. Although it did not increase youth’s knowledge or awareness of fake news, it successfully stimulated their self-efficacy in identifying fake news.

Social Media Fact-Checking: The Effects of News Literacy and News Trust on the Intent to Verify Health-Related Information.

The recent health crisis and the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence have caused misinformation on social media to flourish by becoming more sophisticated and challenging to detect. This calls upon fact-checking and questions users' competencies and attitudes when assessing social media news. Our study provides a model of how fact-checking intent is explained by news literacy and news trust to examine how users behave in the misinformation-prone social media environment. Structural equation modeling was used to examine survey data gathered from social media users. The findings revealed that users' intent to fact-check information in social media news is explained by (1) news literacy, such as the awareness of various techniques used by creators to depict situations about COVID-19; (2) news trust, in terms of the conviction that the news contains all the essential facts; and (3) intent, such as an aim to check information in multiple pieces of news. The presented findings may aid policymakers and practitioners in developing efficient communication strategies for addressing users less prone to fact-checking. Our contribution offers a new understanding of news literacy as a sufficient tool for combating misinformation, which actively equips users with knowledge and an attitude for social media news fact-checking.