Check your media literacy

It may seem a tad ironic to focus on Media Literacy Week when the share of Americans who read the news is smaller than ever.

Then again, that may be the best reason to do it. Reading less (real) news amid an online sea of words posing as news has eroded media literacy so thin it’s no longer the norm.

Media literacy is more than choosing sources. It’s a healthy degree of skepticism (but not cynicism). A keen eye for bias, commercial interests disguised as news, and persuasive word choices presented as fact.

Perhaps most importantly, it’s self-awareness.

Each of us naturally has – consciously or subconsciously – a desire to confirm our own opinions and beliefs. Media literacy and personal growth start there: Asking the question as we read absolutely anything, “Am I setting aside my preconceived ideas as I read this?”

Other literacy tips:

1. Go back to the original source. If Fox News or The New York Times is citing the World Health Organization [WHO], go read it on WHO’s website. Links are often embedded or original sources specifically cited, at least in more reliable news sources (if not, ask yourself why), so make your next step to find the study or key “fact” point and make sure it actually says what it’s reported to say. Hint: with studies, look for the summary and conclusion sections if reading the full text is like slogging through a muddy bog.

2. Always check multiple sources, not just one you like. This is a big one in our politically polarized society. Compare the same issue from various viewpoints – your first source, government officials, health or scientific professionals, and independent media. See what points withstand all, and whether more information affects your conclusions. Especially with biased sources, “all” the key facts are rarely presented in one place.

3. Consider the author. Who wrote it? An independent journalist? An unnamed writer on a website with a specific viewpoint or political position? Someone purporting to be a “real patient/client” touting a “miracle” product? Circle back to item 2.

4. Why was this created? “Media” includes a lot more than local newspapers and national news sites. Most of what’s online is for one of two other purposes: commercial gain or political persuasion. In other words, most of what you find is not content-neutral. It’s biased, even if it tries not to be (hence the vital importance of items 2 and 3).

A lot of it is hard to recognize as such, so look for word choices. With commercial interests, a “problem” is typically presented as especially emergent or concerning – a difficult health issue you can relate to, or a danger that makes you want to take action. By the time you’re done reading about it, you’re ready to buy something or join a group. That’s not reliable data; it’s a cleverly written ad masquerading as “real-life” stories or necessary information.

Are the facts presented with descriptive adjectives that lead you to feel a certain way? Play to your fears, stir your enthusiasm? Do you see trigger words embedded in the paragraphs that elicit emotion, passion, or anger from you as a reader? That’s bias or persuasiveness, not mere “fact.” It’s designed to recruit, not merely inform.

5. Look for transparency. How was this conclusion reached? Is the process that led to it transparent – are the method, timeline, sources and databases shared and verifiable? Don’t just rely on a statement that they are; look for proof in outside sources. Check it out.

6. Be a skeptic, grain of salt on hand. Getting back to our natural biases, as news is created by humans we can’t assume it’s 100% error-free. But we can get close by practicing healthy skepticism. Facts do exist and they’re findable; we can’t believe nothing at all or life becomes practically impossible.

But we can’t believe everything we get from one or two main sources, either. While research-based, scientific and official sources tend to be the most reliable, even these to some extent may rely on information reported by parties out of their control (see item 5). If each step is outlined, the conclusions peer-reviewed and accepted by others who are qualified, the process transparent, it’s a lot more reliable.

7. If you don’t see an opposing view, don’t stop there. This is the second most important characteristic of a media-literate reader. Is an opposing view presented, without being immediately rejected or worse, scoffed at? “Real” news and reliable sources address more than one side, treating it as something to be analyzed and considered rather than dismissively presented as ridiculous or misguided.

Especially if you agree with it. And that gets media literacy back to its number-one point: Our own biases are the worst enemies of fact-finding.

The more we want to believe it, the more skeptical we should be. That’s not to say nothing we believe can be true, but it is a reason to be more open-minded when reading, more vigilant about source selection, and more eager to consume information from a broader variety of sources.

Truth stands up to scrutiny.

Sholeh Patrick, J.D. is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email Sholeh@cdapress.com.