By Paul Rupp
This year is shaping up to be the next unprecedented year in a string of unprecedented years — which, at this point, seems to be the only precedent we have. We are headed into one of the most important years as a nation, particularly as it relates to the importance of this fall’s election.
I’m writing about this now because we have an important duty in the months leading up to fall. That duty is to prepare ourselves for the deluge of information, especially mis- and disinformation, headed our way. Control and misuse of information have long been a feature of politics — see Octavian’s propaganda leveled against Mark Antony. However, modern campaigns don’t have coins and questionable wills; they have social media algorithms, artificial intelligence, and deep fakes. Every year these tools are becoming more effective at generating content that presents a difficulty in discerning fact from fiction and to surgically target our biases.
I encourage everyone to take the time to understand how you can protect yourself. Some methods I find useful are checking sources of content, increasing skepticism when content seems intentionally designed to provoke emotional responses, and seeking out sources that reliably deliver highly factual information. This list certainly isn’t comprehensive — I’m still preparing myself as well — so let’s use our time to build a toolkit for navigating the murky waters ahead.
Several HumanistsMN volunteers have planned a series of sessions on media literacy. A big thank you to Dayna Wolhart, Matt Brennecke, and Kazi Ahmed Habib for taking this on. Keep an eye on Meetup to learn about the next media literacy session planned for June.
Below is a list of resources they recommend to get you started.
Common Sense Media — “What is media literacy, and why is it important?” (kid focused, but relevant to adults as well)
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) — “Media Literacy Defined”
Center for Media Literacy via The Library (summary) — “What Is Media Literacy and Why Does It Matter?”
Poynter/First Draft (resources on spotting misinformation and adult media-literacy tools) — “Too much information: a public guide to navigating the infodemic” (First Draft/Poynter guidance and toolkits)
Public library guide (example: Alpha Park Public Library) — “Media Literacy Resources” (practical resources and fact-checking links for adults)
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