This guide was designed by Limestone University Librarian Janet S. Ward to help you become aware of the news around you. It is a crafted collection of definitions, examples, videos, tools for identification, and articles and links from academic libraries discussing fake news, bias news, satirical news and propaganda.
What is information literacy?
According to the Association of College and Research Libraries, "Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning." Essentially, this means that information literacy can be seen as how well we do with understanding and evaluating different types of sources, including the news, and how effectively we use that information.
How can information literacy help?
By improving your information literacy skills, you will be better equipped to identify fake news, as well as potential bias in regular news. This will help you be not only a smarter consumer of news, but hopefully a more informed citizen as well. These skills are applicable beyond reading news and will also come in handy when evaluating sources for your research.
This guide can help you learn more about information literacy, provides tools to help you evaluate news sources, and lists many other fact-checking resources.
