Making Sense of the News: News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens
- 4.8
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Approx. 15 hours to complete
Course Summary
News literacy is an important skill to have in today's society. This course teaches students how to critically evaluate news sources, identify misinformation, and become informed citizens.Key Learning Points
- Learn how to identify credible news sources and distinguish them from biased or fake news
- Develop skills to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of news stories
- Understand the impact of social media on news consumption and dissemination
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Develop the ability to distinguish between real and fake news
- Understand the impact of social media on news consumption and dissemination
- Gather the skills to become informed and responsible news consumers
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- Basic computer skills
- Access to a computer and internet connection
Course Difficulty Level
BeginnerCourse Format
- Online
- Self-paced
- Video lectures
- Quizzes and assignments
Similar Courses
- Digital Media and Marketing
- Media Ethics and Governance
Related Education Paths
Notable People in This Field
- Journalist and Author
- Journalist and CEO of Rappler
Related Books
Description
Never before has the need for News Literacy been more urgent. As news consumers are bombarded with a constant stream of fake news, propaganda, hoaxes, rumors, satire, and advertising — that often masquerade as credible journalism — it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. While the public’s faith in the news media erodes, purveyors of misinformation have helped give rise to troubling cultural trends and alarming political movements.
Outline
- Making sense of the news is more important than ever
- Why news literacy matters
- Power of information
- Shoot the messenger: Why journalists become targets
- Communication models and media
- News cycles in the age of social media
- Recommended resources: Why news literacy matters
- Recommended resources: Power of information
- Recommended resources: Why journalists become targets
- Definitions: "Social media" and "News cycles"
- Recommended resources: News cycles in the age of social media
- Power of Information
- The responsibility of digital citizens
- What is news and who decides?
- What makes journalism different
- Information Neighborhoods
- Blurred lines
- Universal news drivers
- Editorial judgment
- Recommended resources: What makes journalism different
- Recommended resources: Information neighborhoods
- Recommended resources: Blurred lines
- Recommended resources: What makes news
- Exercise: Editorial judgment
- Tell us more about yourself [optional survey]
- What is news and who decides?
- What makes some information newsworthy?
- Where can we find trustworthy information?
- Truth
- Evidence
- Why verification fails
- What is media bias?
- Cognitive dissonance, confirmation bias
- Opinion journalism and bloviation
- Recommended resources: Truth is provisional
- Recommended resources: Evidence and fact checking
- Recommended resources: Why verification fails
- Recommended resources: Understanding bias
- Recommended resources: Testing our own bias
- Recommended resources: Opinion journalism
- Truth in Journalism
- Media bias, audience bias
- Says who?
- How do we find fairness?
- The importance of sources
- Evaluating sources: IM VAIN
- Evaluating anonymous sources
- Recommended resources: False equivalence
- Recommended resources: Sources
- Recommended resources: What makes a source reliable
- Recommended resources: Anonymous sources
- Fairness and balance
- Source evaluation
- How do I apply news literacy skills?
- News Deconstruction Steps
- Debunking the viral news
- News best covered by print
- Stories that benefit from images, audio and video
- Power of new media
- Recommended resources: Debunking
- Recommended resources: Fake news
- Recommended resources: Stories for print journalism
- Recommended resources: Power of images
- Recommended resources: Online news
- Deconstructing News
- Medium is the message
- Meeting the challenges of digital citizenship
- Numbers in context: Opinion polls and surveys
- Numbers in context: Health science
- News angles
- Recommended resources: Essential statistics guide for smart news audience
- How did you find the course? [optional survey]
- Beyond the news literacy basics
- News deconstruction
Summary of User Reviews
Learn about News Literacy with Coursera. Discover how to identify credible sources, fact-check information and evaluate news for accuracy. Users have rated this course positively for its engaging content, practical examples and expert instructors.Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course
Users found the practical examples provided in the course to be helpful in understanding news literacy concepts.Pros from User Reviews
- Engaging content that keeps users interested throughout the course
- Expert instructors that provide clear explanations and helpful tips
- Practical examples that help users understand news literacy concepts
- Well-structured course that covers a wide range of topics
- Flexible schedule that allows users to complete the course at their own pace
Cons from User Reviews
- Some users found the course to be too basic and not challenging enough
- Occasional technical difficulties with the course platform
- Lack of interaction with other users and instructors
- Not enough focus on global news literacy issues
- Some users found the course to be too focused on American news and media
Masato Kajimoto
4.8 Raiting
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- 0.0
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Learn teaching practices that help students become savvy consumers of digital information. Fake news and misinformation pose an urgent challenge to citizens across the globe....
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- 4.4
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340+ Lectures, 70+ Hrs. with Bonuses: Everything you will ever need to truly start your First Online Business and beyond “Never Done Before: 50 Courses Bundled In One...
Making Sense of the News: News Literacy Lessons for Digital Citizens
- 4.8
-
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Never before has the need for News Literacy been more urgent. The course will discuss the key elements of journalism from the viewpoint of the news audience....
