We’re not doing enough to teach media literacy

Credit: Alison Yin/EdSource

Credit: Alison Yin/EdSource

Carolyn Jones

March 7, 2023

5 Comments

Since I arrived in Albania in mid-February, I’ve been thinking, discussing, contemplating and even dreaming about media literacy in all its nuances and dimensions. As a Fulbright Specialist, my task here is to help write media literacy guidelines for K-12 schools and universities, so the ideas that Americans take for granted — such as the value of a free and independent press — are ingrained into the next generation of this tiny Balkan nation on the Adriatic.

But I wasn’t prepared for a question I got last week from an older professor at a university in Tirana.

I had just given my spiel about fake news and its corrosive effect on democracy in the United States when he asked in halting English:

“But we look to the U.S. for leadership. If the U.S. can’t protect itself from fake news, what will become of us?”

I was speechless for a moment, suddenly aware of the gravity of this mission. Albania has a lively media landscape, with dozens of newspapers and online news outlets, but it’s rife with fake news and propaganda. It’s a challenge for ordinary citizens to get reliable information.

I told him that countless educators and advocates in the U.S. are working hard on this issue, trying to ensure all Americans are savvy news consumers. That they won’t be fooled by fake news or share rumors and propaganda on social media. That they’ll seek out balanced, fair, thorough reporting.

But his question haunted me. We’re not doing enough, and the stakes are too high for a lackluster effort.

So far, 18 states (including California) have enacted some form of legislation promoting media literacy in schools, according to the advocacy group Media Literacy Now. Only three states, Delaware, New Jersey and Texas, require media literacy in all K-12 classrooms, with standards integrated into existing social studies, health or language arts curriculum.

In California, Senate Bill 830, passed in 2018, required the state Department of Education to draw up media literacy guidelines and resources for schools. The web page provides a trove of curriculum and professional development opportunities, but nothing is required. It’s impossible to determine how many California teachers actually use these resources or how many students get any media literacy education at all.

In my experience visiting classrooms in the U.S. as well as Albania, students welcome this information. They’re attached to their phones and spend hours a day on social media. It’s their favorite topic. It’s how they engage with each other and the world. They’re eager to discuss it, share ideas and think beyond TikTok and Instagram.

Some schools already know this. Fremont High School in Oakland Unified, for example, has had a media academy since 1986, where students learn communications and digital skills, including filmmaking. San Rafael High School in Marin County also has a media academy, which blends English, social studies and media production. Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Los Angeles Unified, named for the Wall Street Journal reporter who was executed in Pakistan in 2002, has a strong focus on journalism and communications. It’s one of the top-performing schools in California academically, with a graduation rate of nearly 100%.

But media literacy should not be a niche topic for select schools. Media Literacy Now advocates for all states to require media literacy in all grades. States should create standards and model curriculum, fund professional development for teachers, form advisory councils and appoint central coordinators. Media literacy should be required for graduation.

“A quality media literacy education teaches students how to think more critically, not what to think. It is not an extra, it is an essential element of education,” the group wrote in its 2022 report on the state of media literacy in the U.S.

Defining media literacy would be a good first step. When I got to Albania, I noticed right away that media literacy means something different here than it does in California. Here, it leans toward news literacy because that’s the immediate need: a public that can see through fake news and propaganda and appreciate fair and accurate reporting. In other places, it’s more focused on digital citizenship, or safe and responsible online practices. Some curriculum focuses more on information literacy, or the ability to research and evaluate information online.

And of course, it can also include media production skills, such as reporting and writing news stories, recording podcasts and making simple videos — all of which students can do with their phones right in the classroom.

In Albania, where democracy was hard-fought and is still in its infancy, educators are working toward requiring media literacy in K-12 classrooms, integrated into existing curriculum, and as a stand-alone class in universities. Working with international media experts, journalists and teachers are writing guidelines that hopefully will soon be in every classroom.

California should take a cue from this country where no one takes democracy for granted. Albanians know all too well the price of indifference.

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Carolyn Jones covers student wellness, mental health and special education for EdSource. She has been working in Albania as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Fulbright Specialist Program.

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