A report from the US based Project information literacy which has implications for librarians and educators concerned with information literacy and the fight against fake news.
During 2017/18 a sample of 5,844 respondents returned an online survey administered at 11 U.S. colleges, universities, and community colleges. Topics discussed include competency in evaluating sources and use of social media for finding and understanding news stories.
Key findings
More than half of the college students in the study (51%) lacked the confidence to recognize “fake news”; more than one-third (36%) agreed that “fake news” had made them distrust the credibility of all news. As many survey respondents acknowledged, the ability to navigate the news landscape is critical in a democracy. This skill, however, takes time to develop.
The study authors recommended that teaching of competencies in finding information sources should occur from a young age at school.
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