Navigating the New World of Media Literacy

If I may, let me take you back to the 2016 presidential election. It may feel like a different era, but it wasn’t actually that long ago when now-ubiquitous terms like “fake news” had yet to enter the lexicon. I was working as a school superintendent at the time, and a close colleague and I found ourselves regularly discussing and debating the news of the day. Although we have never seen eye-to-eye on political issues, we have always had the utmost respect for each other as friends and human beings—but something had fundamentally changed about the discourse and the type of news we were discussing. 

We eventually realized that our disjointed conversations and talking points were being filtered through disparate lenses of personalized social media algorithms, which were feeding us information that was in many ways duping us into believing things that confirmed our existing biases. We suddenly had to work harder to “break free” and actively seek information outside of these echo chambers to truly understand what was happening in the world. I’m sure many of you have had similar epiphanies about the shifting credibility of our media landscape, whether from your own personal lives or in the context of your educational responsibilities. 

When I first began training to be a principal in 2003, we had limited conversations surrounding what "media literacy" meant and its relevance to our jobs. But this was a time where the internet was first becoming widespread, a time before 24/7 social media and smartphones in every pocket. For better or for worse, we could “trust” the news and you didn’t have to be a digital expert to think critically about what you were consuming. 

But in 2024? Students and educators live in a world where the proliferation of artificial intelligence, deepfake videos, and other emerging technologies have completely changed our understanding of what media literacy looks like—while underscoring its importance. Research shows that students frequently engage in questionable source evaluation behaviors, often focusing on whether the information matches what they're looking for rather than whether the information is actually verifiable. Fact-checking takes time and effort, and if they aren't formally being taught these cognitive tools how can we expect our youth to simply know better?

At Facing History, we want students to feel empowered and to know that their voices matter—but in an age where smartphones make every teenager a content creator influencing conversations with their peers and families, it’s more crucial than ever for them to use this power with responsibility. Effective media literacy for students means more than just thinking critically about what they’re consuming. It also means ensuring that the content they’re producing follows the same rigorous standards for accuracy, empathy, and biases. In order for young people to believe in their own power to impact their communities, schools and districts must implement curriculum designed specifically to create informed, intellectually curious, and engaged members of society.

And we can’t forget, students aren’t the only ones who need to think critically about media literacy in this pivotal moment—leaders and educators must prioritize this mindset as well. Unlike younger generations of digital natives who have grown up with internet access in the palms of their hands, many of you are probably like myself and are just doing your best to figure things out as you go. Studies have proven that despite our life experience, we adults are just as susceptible to the influence of misinformation, inherent biases, and high-tech ruses meant to sway our perspectives and our worldviews. 

So what can we do as district and school leaders to promote and practice ethical media literacy, both in our professional educational communities and our personal lives? First off, we can model the types of behavior that we want to see practiced by the educators and students in our classrooms. When we act and think with diligence, open-mindedness, and intellectual rigor, we demonstrate to those we lead how they should proceed.

While forward-thinking new laws are being passed in states like California and New Jersey mandating more stringent media standards, we cannot wait around looking for guidance from legislators while technology and the ways we use it are evolving before our eyes. It's up to leaders like us to take the initiative, see the writing on the wall, and spearhead media ethics and critical thinking in our curriculum. Media literacy needs to be understood as a fundamental life skill that impacts all other areas of academic study, not just a new standalone subject that can be conveyed to students through a single course. Rather, it’s a vital lens through which all subjects can and must be taught.

I was inspired to learn about a superintendent in Long Island, NY who has initiated a plan that embeds media literacy education into ELA and social studies curriculum across her entire district, from grades 6 through 12. Instead of crossing her fingers and hoping that new tech will simply go away, Dr. Camhi has embraced reality and factored this kind of thinking into district goals to shape responsible young citizens who question and evaluate what they’re thinking, consuming, and producing.

The 2024 presidential election is only weeks away, and Facing History has been hard at work creating civics and media literacy resources to help support educators in these trying and polarized times. The very future of democracy is at stake and it is our responsibility to guide students and educators into making thoughtful and informed decisions about the future of our nation. As leaders in this space, we owe it to them to equip them with the tools that they require to succeed in life and modern society.

As we like to say: “People Make Choices. Choices Make History.” Shouldn’t those choices, that history, be backed by truth and integrity?

About the Author. Desmond K. Blackburn, PhD is President and Chief Executive Officer at Facing History and Ourselves , a national nonprofit organization that works with school systems to use lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. He has spent nearly 30 years as a career educator (teacher, principal, superintendent, adjunct professor, author). To find out how Dr. Blackburn and the Facing History team can support you, contact him at support@facinghistory.org.