Breaking News OR Broken News: Teaching News Literacy To Kids

The Speak Good Podcast

In today’s media landscape, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. There is a race for ratings versus the need to always deliver clear, concise, and accurate information. If adults have a hard time separating the two, how do tweens and teens stand a chance?

In this episode of The Speak Good Podcast, host Brad Phillips invites author Robin Terry Brown to talk about how kids, tweens, and teens can become more educated about truth versus misinformation. She addresses how and why young people can easily become overloaded with information and provides the tools needed to separate the noise from the news.

GUEST BIO:

Robin Terry Brown is the former senior editor for National Geographic Kids magazines and books, in which her role included editing the popular Weird But True! series. A graduate of the master's program at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Robin is a longtime editor and writer who has written for numerous publications and books. She also has a self-described penchant for “getting the facts straight.” Her latest book is Breaking the News: What's Real, What's Not, and Why the Difference Matters.
For Tweens and Teens
Digital Compass by Common Sense Education – Games and quizzes on social media smarts
Commonsense Media – Fact-checking tools
Society of Professional Journalists – Journalistic code of ethics

News just for kids:
Smithsonian Tween Tribune
Dogo News
News For Kids

For Parents and Teachers
Media literacy websites with tools for parents and teachers:
American Library Association's Literacy Clearinghouse
Commonsense Media
Media Literacy Clearinghouse
New Literacy Project
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