Media and Information Literacy

Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, and use information appropriately and effectively. It's having the knowledge to determine the validity and reliability of a source to ensure the information used is adequate for it's intended purpose. Similarly, new media literacy is the ability to evaluate various types of media and the information given to ensure truth and lack of bias (Dell, 2019). According to Dell (2019), media literacy is important because it teaches critical thinking skills and helps people decipher the difference between disinformation/fake news and information versus legitimate, true information when they see it. Both are vital as the availability of information out in the world is growing at rapid rates, and unfortunately, one cannot always trust what they see, hear, or learn (Rogow, 2024). It's important to be able to determine whether a source is truthful, free of bias, and valid. Being media and information literate will help with that.

When I think of information literacy and media literacy, I think of research projects. When conducting research and sifting through various online websites and articles, it is important to know what is factual and what is not. You want to be sure you are only looking at reliable websites and sources. Something that I will do to ensure what I am reading online is factual is I will enter the source into a reference generator website. When entering a website or article, it will usually say something like "proceed with caution" or "credible". In addition, through my experiences with ACE, I have learned the importance of peer-reviewed, scholarly articles. I also try to stick with websites that end in .org, .edu, or .gov. I also try to find the same types of information on more than one source. Lastly, I will honestly just use my judgement. Sometimes it can be quite evident whether information on a website is coming from a reputable author or not.

To be sure media and information literacy skills are ethical and used effectively, I will use library databases and apply filters that will only provide peer-reviewed, scholarly articles. That way I know I am receiving information from a legitimate source and when I communicate information learned, I have confidence that I am not spreading any misinformation. Lastly, I will be sure to properly cite any sources that I do use to avoid plagiarism.

Click here for more information! 

References

            Carroll College. (2025). Information Literacy. In Carroll College. https://www.carroll.edu/academics/library/about-library/faculty/information-literacy 

Dell, M. (2019). Fake news, alternative facts, and disinformation: The importance of teaching media literacy to law students. Touro Law Review, 35(2), 619–648. https://discovery.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=9a6d976b-de13-3587-bdda-4bedc5686b98 

Rogow, F. (2024, April 10). Media Literacy for Students in a Digital Age | Citizenship | Carnegie Corporation of New York. Carnegie Corporation of New York. https://www.carnegie.org/our-work/article/media-literacy-for-students-in-a-digital-age/