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NY Unveils Media Literacy Toolkit For Schools To Combat 'Scourge' Of Misinformation

New York is joining the fight against fake news.

News media.

News media.

Photo Credit: Canva/AndreyPopov

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Should media literacy be taught in New York classrooms?
Final Results Voting Closed

Should media literacy be taught in New York classrooms?

  • Yes
    75%
  • No
    25%

Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled the state’s first “Media Literacy” toolkit to help educators teach students how to critically analyze and assess information, particularly online.

The initiative, announced Thursday, Jan. 23, follows growing concerns about misinformation, social media influence, and the role of online radicalization in recent violent incidents, including the Buffalo mass shooting, Hochul’s office said.

“Whether it’s cell phones and social media or the scourge of misinformation teens encounter each day, I’m taking action to protect young people online and give them the tools to succeed,” Hochul said.

The Media Literacy toolkit, which can be viewed here, was developed by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services in collaboration with the New York State Education Department. It will be distributed to all schools and districts and made available online.

The toolkit is designed to equip educators with strategies to help students become informed consumers of information, Hocul’s office said. It includes:

  • An overview of the 21st-century media landscape
  • An introduction to media literacy
  • Key questions for analyzing and evaluating media
  • The importance of media literacy
  • Educator tools and resources

American teens spend nearly a third of their day online, where they are exposed to vast amounts of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation (MDM) – including conspiracy theories, propaganda, and hyper-partisan content, Hochul’s office said.

New York State has seen firsthand how dangerous misinformation can be. The perpetrator of the 2022 Buffalo mass shooting – which killed 10 people and injured three others – was reportedly radicalized online, engaging heavily with conspiracy theories like "The Great Replacement Theory," according to investigators.

False information can also spread rapidly in times of crisis, Hochul said, like in the aftermath of the 2023 Maui Wildfires, when social media posts falsely claimed FEMA could seize homes if residents accepted disaster assistance.

The Division of Homeland Security will work with BOCES and local educators to provide training on how to implement the new lessons in the classroom.

Among those supporting the measure is New York State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, who said equipping students with critical thinking skills is critical to helping them navigate a sea of online information.

“We have developed and distributed a toolkit that provides educators with valuable resources to empower students to become discerning consumers of information, fostering a generation that can evaluate sources, identify misinformation, disinformation, mal-information and ultimately become informed and responsible citizens," Rosa said.

What Do You Think? Should media literacy be taught in New York classrooms? Sound off in our poll above.

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