Skills for Life: Media Literacy and Critical Thinking

Media literacy education is a tool for combating mis/disinformation in a time where there is so much uncertainty. The lack of credible news means that we are left with news stories driven by propaganda, misinformation, or manipulated content and even fiction or just fallacy. This impacts every person in every situation and influences the conversations, policy, and beliefs whether we are talking about race, gender, economics of poverty, climate, and so much more. This paper takes the reader through explaining the value of this instruction, the process of understanding the key questions of media literacy, as well as recommendations for assessments and further dialogue. The purpose is to encourage readers to consider the use of these media literacy skills in educational and community settings to help the public better understand how to manage various mediated environments.