What is news literacy? News literacy goes far beyond just being able to sniff out fake news. It is a concept that has been studied for many years and continues to develop due to social media and technology constantly evolving.
The authors of the article “Defining and Conceptualizing News Literacy” state, “ we define news literacy as knowledge of the personal and social processes by which news is produced, distributed, and consumed, and skills that allow users some control over these processes” (Tully et al, 2021).
Simply put, news literacy is knowing how news is created, how it’s shared and how it’s processed by the audience, while also having the ability to use it yourself. This is where the 5 Cs of news literacy come in handy.
The 5 Cs of News Literacy: What Are They?
To help best define and understand news literacy, it is helpful to know the 5 Cs of news literacy.
- Context: Context is the behind-the-scenes factors that shape the news. This includes the social and economic environments, as well as laws in the place where the news is coming from (Tully et al, 2021).
- Creation: Creation is how the news is actually made. How was the news conceived and reported? This doesn’t just cover journalists; it also covers influencers, bloggers and AI generated news. What are the values of the person who created and obtained this news? This also includes the background and social views of however created this news (Tully et al, 2021).
- Content: Content is what sets apart this piece of news from other media content. What are the characteristics that make it news worthy? Understanding the importance of content and how it is different from other media is essential in defining news literacy. We want to look at if the sources of the news are credible and if the evidence included can be deemed reliable (Tully et al, 2021).
- Circultion: How did this news get to you? A person’s personal bias can determine how quickly news reaches them, or even what kind of news reaches them. People identify with news that matches their personal values more than news that doesn’t, therefore people will seek a specific type of news out because they deem it more trustworthy. Your algorithm and social media can also play a part in what news is circulated to you (Tully et al, 2021).
- Consumption: Consumption is the act of how we digest news. This includes what news we pay attention to and how we perceive it. Personal bias is huge here. Everything from political views to where you live can affect how credible we find news, how we interpret it, and if we even see it. It is important to be aware of these biases in order to educate ourselves and have well-rounded opinions on topics in the news, without judging too quick due to personal beliefs (Tully et al, 2021).
Differentiating News Literacy and Media Literacy
News literacy and media literacy are similar, but not exactly the same. Where news literacy is focused on our digestion of news specifically (typically current events and politics), media literacy is more general. Media literacy is how we process all different kinds of media. Similar to news literacy, media literacy also shares the same ideolgy of being able to make your own informed decision about the media you have consumed. Whether that is a commercial, a movie or a social media advertisement, media literacy shares the common goal of individuals being able to question and appreciate what they are seeing (Jones-Jang et al, 2021). Both literacies put an emphasis on individuals being able to have the skills to interpret and assess the specific information being shared with us.
Identifying Misinformation and Honing Your News Literacy Skills
While media literacy is important, news literacy is absolutely essential in this day and age. The younger generation is exhibiting a rising level of dependence on social media for news. That being said, news literacy levels are also increasing (Swart, 2023). It’s important for anyone who consumes media to be news literate and understand the 5 C’s. This is crucial to having a society where everyone is able to make their own educated, informed opinions. No one wants to fall victim to fake news or the spread of misinformation, so it is up to us to understand exactly what to look for and even our own personal biases.
Keywords:
News literacy, misinformation, the 5 Cs of news literacy, media literacy
References:
Jones-Jang, S. M., Mortensen, T., & Liu, J. (2019). Does Media Literacy Help Identification of Fake News? Information Literacy Helps, but Other Literacies Don’t. American Behavioral Scientist, 65(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219869406
Swart, J. (2021). Tactics of news literacy: How young people access, evaluate, and engage with news on social media. New Media & Society, 25(3), 505–521. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211011447
Tully, M., Maksl, A., Ashley, S., Vraga, E. K., & Craft, S. (2021). Defining and conceptualizing news literacy. Journalism, 23(8), 146488492110058. https://doi.org/10.1177/14648849211005888