Media literacy: Motivate your child to be judicious about news
Media has been an integral part of human life for many years and plays a pivotal role in shaping public opinion. Society depends on media for information, education, and personal entertainment. During the last decade, the media landscape has significantly evolved with the advent of digitalisation. It has changed the way we consume content, and provided us with a wide array of options to choose from. On the other hand, information from too many sources has affected its credibility and led to a rise in fake news.
Amidst all of this, the need for media literacy at a tender age has gone up. Here is why:
- Kids consume a large influx of content from the internet and they need to be protected from false propaganda. Media literacy helps a person understand the different media of communication better and become a smarter customer of information
- It also helps in enhancing critical thinking skills among students
- Media literacy helps kids analyse information and make an informed opinion. The author’s true intention can be judged as media literacy allows a person to think for himself
- Becoming media literate can help a nation grow since it will help people hold informed opinions
Help your child become smart enough to judge the information in today’s complex media scenario with these five suggestions.
Don’t form your judgement by reading only the headline
Due to lack of time or interest, many people just read headlines and form their judgement on that basis. However, it is completely wrong because sometimes headlines are not aligned with the crux of the articles, and a reader might not be able to judge what the story is about. These types of headlines are often called blind headlines. As a parent, you should motivate your child to read the entire article before passing any judgement.
Cross-check the news source
While scrolling on the internet or social media feed, one might find articles from various unverified sources. These may persuade them to believe in lies. To avoid the situation, a student should always verify the news. After reading some news online, suggest that they verify by visiting two or three credible news sources to check the authenticity.
Avoid bias
Bias towards something doesn’t let people see the other side of the story. Always have a neutral approach while reading the news and look for both sides of the story to form a judgement.
Read about panelists or interviewees
If your child loves to listen to political debates or arguments, the best way for forming an informed opinion is by knowing the affiliations of panelists or interviewees on the show. It will help your child know in advance why the person is biased towards one side.
Always look for supporting facts/figures
Supporting facts and figures are important to back the main idea of an author. Every claim made should be supported by relevant facts. To enhance media literacy, it is important to look for fact-driven stories rather than only claim-based stories. So, cross-checking facts is a must.