News Media Literacy Research Articles

Exploring the Social Media Culture of Commenting: Youtube Users Sentiments of “Misinformation” on International News Media Sphere.

Abstract In the 21st century, the Internet has continued to play a role in breaking news and especially in emergency situations. Social media as an alternate public sphere provides users a platform to seek out clarification, debate, and spread information. Information that might be perceived to be misinformation has become a challenge in both the local news and the international media sphere. Although different scholars have debated this aspect, a review of the relevant literature indicates that few scholars have explored this issue in line with the culture of commenting. The culture of news consumers in the digital age shapes the development of news stories as they seek to find a credible source of information for consumption. This study recognizes that the assumption of misinformation is a very complex problem that is subject to diverse cultural analysis and incessant discourse among experts. Therefore, this study explored the sentiments of YouTube users in the international media sphere in regards to perceived misinformation and the social media culture of commenting. The study investigated YouTube as a communicative platform through the analysis of the content of YouTube channels owned by the media. The study utilized ExportComments.com, a data extraction tool to extract both quantitative and qualitative data from the YouTube channels, and conducted a thematic content qualitative analysis of the comments. This study contributes to the overall public sphere theory. It is imperative for the media to adapt to pro-truth while audience engagement and news media literacy are vital in the age of fake news.

Commenter and News Source Credibility: Roles of News Media Literacy, Comment Argument Strength and Civility

Many news websites allow for audience comments, but there is concern, especially when these comments are negative or low-quality, that the comments could negatively influence how readers perceive the corresponding news story. This experiment explores whether quality characteristics of comments – argument strength and civility – could help improve the perceived credibility of news content. Further, the study looks at whether quality characteristics of audience members, like their level of news media literacy, might reduce the negative influence of low-quality comments on someone’s perception of the credibility of the story. The findings reveal that higher quality comments lead to improved perceptions of the credibility of the news source, even when the comments criticize the journalist. Additionally, the study finds that individuals with higher levels of news media literacy are more capable of distinguishing the quality of journalist content from user-generated content.

Analyzing the Relationship between News Consumption and Media Literacy of High School Students in Tehran

با ظهور و فراگیر شدن رسانه‌های نوین، مسئله اخبار نادرست بیش از پیش اهمیت یافته است. جوان‌ترها و به‌خصوص دانش‌آموزان، به‌واسطه استفاده بیشتر از فضای مجازی در معرض آسیب‌پذیری بیشتری هستند. هدف این تحقیق بررسی نوع و میزان مصرف و سواد رسانه‌ای خبری دانش‌آموزان دبیرستانی، و همچنین رفتار مراقبتی والدین آنان است. جامعه آماری دانش‌آموزان پایه یازدهم شهر تهران است که تعداد 466 نفر از آنان به روش خوشه‌ای انتخاب شدند. داده‌ها به وسیله پرسش‌نامه تهیه شده مبتنی بر تحقیق کرافت، اشلی و مکسل و در قالب الگوی سواد رسانه‌ای شناختی جیمز پاتر جمع‌آوری شد. نتایج نشان داد که سواد رسانه‌ای خبری دانش‌آموزان در حد متوسط است. میان تنوع و میزان مصرف رسانه‌ای، منطقه آموزشی و شغل والدین با سواد رسانه‌ای دانش‌آموزان رابطه وجود دارد. اما میان جنسیت و سواد رسانه‌ای خبری رابطه معناداری مشاهده نشد. یافته‌ها نشان داد که 38 درصد والدین برای مراقبت فرزندان در برابر رسانه‌ها هیچ اقدامی نمی‌کنند، و عمده‌ترین فعالیت مابقی صحبت کردن در مورد محتوای رسانه است. در نهایت 57 درصد دانش‌آموزان درس تفکر و سواد رسانه‌ای پایه دهم را غیرمفید ارزیابی کردند.

Fighting biased news diets: Using news media literacy interventions to stimulate online cross-cutting media exposure patterns

Online news consumers have the tendency to select political news that confirms their prior attitudes, which may further fuel polarized divides in society. Despite scholarly attention to drivers of selective exposure, we know too little about how healthier cross-cutting news exposure patterns can be stimulated in digital media environments. Study 1 ( N = 553) exposed people to news media literacy (NML) interventions using injunctive and descriptive normative language. The findings reveal the conditional effect of such online interventions: Participants with pro-immigration attitudes engaged in more cross-cutting exposure while the intervention was only to a certain extent effective for Democrats, ineffective for Republicans, and even boomeranged for partisans with anti-immigration attitudes. In response to these findings, Study 2 ( N = 579) aimed to design interventions that work across issue publics and party affiliation. We show that NML messages tailored on immigration beliefs can be effective across the board. These findings inform the design of more successful NML interventions.

Bridging the gap? The impact of a media literacy educational intervention on news media literacy, political knowledge, political efficacy among lower-educated youth

Scholars generally agree that there is a gap between lower- and higher-educated citizens on civic competence, which solidifies during adolescence. This two-wave panel study examines how an educational intervention focused on media literacy influences civic competence among lower-educated youth (age 16 to 26). Additionally, the level of civic involvement among participants is tested on three measures of civic competence: news media literacy, political efficacy and political knowledge. The findings suggest that the educational program has influenced the level of political efficacy and news media literacy. Furthermore, participants with the most active involvement in the program, i.e. co-created the educational video material, also showed the strongest improvements of political efficacy and political knowledge.

Separating truth from lies: comparing the effects of news media literacy interventions and fact-checkers in response to political misinformation in the US and Netherlands

ABSTRACT Although previous research has offered important insights into the consequences of mis- and disinformation and the effectiveness of corrective information, we know markedly less about how different types of corrective information – news media literacy interventions and fact-checkers – can be combined to counter different forms of misinformation. Against this backdrop, this paper reports on experiments in the US and the Netherlands (N = 1,091) that exposed people to evidence-based or fact-free anti-immigration misinformation, fact-checkers and/or a media literacy intervention. The main findings indicate that evidence-based misinformation is seen as more accurate than fact-free misinformation, and the combination of news media literacy interventions and fact-checkers is most effective in lowering issue agreement and perceived accuracy of misinformation across countries. These findings have important implications for journalism practice and policy makers that aim to combat mis- and disinformation.

Preservice teachers’ perceptions of teaching news media literacy

PurposeThis study explores social studies preservice teacher’s orientation toward teaching news media literacy in the era of fake news. Previous literature indicates that many social studies teachers express a desire to maintain neutrality in the classroom. As such, this study focuses on the preservice teachers’ articulated pedagogical practices around news media literacy, as well as the described forces and factors that influence their described stances.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses work from the field of political communication to analyze course assignments, semi-structured interviews and survey responses in order to consider the ways 39 preservice social studies teachers articulated their anticipated and enacted pedagogical practices around news media literacy.FindingsFindings suggest a prevalent desire among the participants to pursue neutrality by presenting “both sides,” echoing traditional journalistic pursuits of objectivity. The possible consequences of this desire are also explored. Additionally, the study suggests that parents, administrators and the content standards are viewed as forces, which will constrain their practices.Practical implicationsUsing theorizing about the civil sphere, this paper considers implications for teacher educators. The civil sphere may provide a lens with which to analyze news media and may help preservice teachers adopt practices they view as risky.Originality/valueThis study aims to extend conversations around the teaching of news media, controversial political and social issues and the preparation of social studies teachers in the current social and political ecology by working to align the field with growing conversations in the field of political communication and journalism.

The role of agenda melding in measuring news media literacy

The role of agenda melding in measuring news media literacy

News media literacy skills and violence against women in news reporting in Turkey: instrument development and testing

The purpose of the present study was twofold: The first was to determine the validity and reliability of a news media literacy questionnaire that was developed to identify college students’ literacy levels related to media and news about violence against women. The existing literature about media literacy shows that there is a lack of evaluation instrument of this kind. The study aimed to determine whether or not Turkish students could critically analyze the news reports, in particular, news about violence towards women, given on different news channels. A questionnaire that consisted of 16 questions divided among three categories (awareness, analysis, and judgment) was developed based on a comprehensive review of related studies in the literature. Data were collected from 172 Turkish college students enrolled in the department of English Language Teaching at a major government university in Turkey. The results showed the instrument to be reliable and valid. The second aim of the study was to validate the questionnaire with 81 laypersons of different age groups and with different educational and income levels. The results of the validation study were given as a preliminary presentation of the perceptions of the respondents.

What predicts adolescents’ critical thinking about real-life news? The roles of social media news consumption and news media literacy

Critical thinking in the post-truth era demands that news users develop and maintain a skeptical way of knowing, and cultivate the ability to discern evidence-based and unbiased information to make sound judgments. While adolescents are becoming the most dedicated social media news consumers, the literature is yet to catch up with empirical research on whether adolescents are able to apply critical thinking to make sense of real-life news. We investigated the relationships between social media news consumption, news media literacy, and critical thinking of 1505 adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age. Multivariate analyses suggested an internal news-seeking motivation, a cautious perception towards social media personalized news algorithms, and a reported habit of news-source tracking each independently predicted skills in thinking critically about a real-life news report. Hierarchical regression analysis further indicated the unique and combined variances of news consumption and news media literacy in predicting critical thinking in news. Insights for preparing our youth to become news-literate critical thinkers are discussed.

Dimensions of News Media Literacy Among U.S. Advertising Students

In a national survey, advertising students rated themselves overall as above average on media literacy knowledge and attitudes, though 43% said they often are confused about the quality of news and information. Students exhibited higher degrees of understanding of and interest in the media literacy dimensions of “Messages and Meanings” and “Authors and Audiences” than they did in the “Value of Media Literacy”. Those with higher grade point averages and experience with internships placed a higher value on media literacy than other groups. The concept of students’ “media maturity” and implications for educators and society at large are discussed.

Engaging with the other side: using news media literacy messages to reduce selective exposure and avoidance

ABSTRACTWe examined whether news media literacy (NML) messages attenuate selective exposure and avoidance. One week before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, participants were randomly assigned to see a NML video advertisement before entering a simulated news aggregation website where behaviors were unobtrusively tracked. For three of the four NML messages, higher levels of partisan selective exposure among Republicans compared to Democrats in the control condition were reduced to non-significance. There were no effects on selective avoidance for either group. Several NML messages limited partisan selective exposure among Republicans, offering a concrete option for addressing problems of selective exposure online.

News literacy and fake news curriculum: School librarians’ perceptions of pedagogical practices

The high profile of fake news reveals underlying trends in the production and consumption of news. While news literacy is a lifelong skill, the logical time to start teaching such literacy is in K-12 educational settings, so that all people have the opportunity to learn and practice news literacy. School librarians can play a critical role in helping students gain news literacy competence. This study investigated the needs for K-12 students to be news literate and their current level of skills as perceived by in-service teachers and school librarians in California. Respondents thought that their students were most competent at distinguishing advertisements and least proficient at discerning the trustworthiness of photographs. Concurrently, news literacy was seldom integrated systematically into the curriculum. The findings supported the need for developing news media literacy curriculum, including visual and media literacy, that could be implemented by K-12 teachers and school librarians.

Advancing children’s news media literacy: learning from the practices and experiences of young Australians

Social media use has redefined the production, experience and consumption of news media. These changes have made verifying and trusting news content more complicated and this has led to a number of recent flashpoints for claims and counter-claims of ‘fake news’ at critical moments during elections, natural disasters and acts of terrorism. Concerns regarding the actual and potential social impact of fake news led us to carry out the first nationally representative survey of young Australians’ news practices and experiences. Our analysis finds that while social media is one of young people’s preferred sources of news, they are not confident about spotting fake news online and many rarely or never check the source of news stories. Our findings raise important questions regarding the need for news media literacy education – both in schools and in the home. Therefore, we consider the historical development of news media literacy education and critique the relevance of dominant frameworks and pedagogies currently in use. We find that news media has become neglected in media literacy education in Australia over the past three decades, and we propose that current media literacy frameworks and pedagogies in use need to be rethought for the digital age.

News media literacy, perceptions of bias, and interpretation of news

Drawing on interviews with a diverse group of adults living in the United States, this study examines news media literacy and how perceptions of personal bias and news bias affect news choices and interpretation in general and evaluation of two news stories specifically. Findings suggest that while people recognize that their worldviews shape their news choices in the abstract and believe that news bias occurs for a variety of complex reasons, when faced with analyzing stories, they point to political partisanship connected to specific news outlets as the root of bias in news with most relying on source cues to make their assessments.

Editorial introduction. Representations of immigrants and refugees: News coverage, public opinion and media literacy

Editorial introduction. Representations of immigrants and refugees: News coverage, public opinion and media literacy

Media literacy and newspapers of record

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the challenges associated with identifying newspapers of record for local, regional and national newspapers, specifically as those challenges pertain to students’ news media literacy. Visual literacy and information literacy intersections are explored.Design/methodology/approachNewspapers of record for province/territory and state areas of Canada and the United States of America were identified for student project purposes. Criteria for newspaper of record qualification were investigated, refined, and applied to all newspapers reviewed.FindingsDistinguishing newspapers of record based on traditional criteria is inadequate in an online environment. Criteria must be more flexible and address both the visual as well as the content aspects of newspapers. Neither database access nor native website access alone is sufficient for identifying these newspapers. Straightforward and definitive identification of these newspapers will no longer be possible.Practical implicationsLibrarians will be faced with focusing on content or visual literacy, addressing both in a meaningful way during a single instruction session will be difficult. More strategic instruction within and across disciplines is necessary to produce news media-literate and savvy students.Originality/valueNews media literacy for students in all disciplines is an urgent need and must incorporate both visual and content literacies. In a time of proliferation of news sources, understanding the challenges associated with identifying newspapers of record for both librarians and students is a necessary step in this area of information literacy.

The Role of News Media Literacy in Predicting News Personalization and News Engagement

The Role of News Media Literacy in Predicting News Personalization and News Engagement

Winning The War On State-Sponsored Propaganda: Results From An Impact Study Of A Ukrainian News Media And Information Literacy Program

Winning The War On State-Sponsored Propaganda: Results From An Impact Study Of A Ukrainian News Media And Information Literacy Program

Does Skepticism Predict News Media Literacy: A Study on Turkish Young Adults

The 2010’s are when information and informatics age coexist, information overload has been transformed into a mass engineering tool, “imposing bombardment” has become the norm. The most influential tool of this cultural-industrial act is news media. Efforts to educate young adults, who are most active in touch with information, in view of news media are needed. Skepticism has the potential to improve news media literacy of young adults. The present study investigates whether young adults’ skepticism levels predict young adults’ news media literacy levels. The research problem was analyzed with correlational research model. Two different research populations (Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University and Ataturk University) were determined for the purpose of the study. The results revealed positive, moderate, significant relationships between skepticism levels and news media literacy of young adults. “Self-determining” and “interpersonal understanding” competences - the components of skepticism - have a positive effect on news media literacy. The “search for knowledge” and “questioning mind” has the potential to positively affect news media literacy.