California will now mandate that all K–12 students learn media literacy skills, such as identifying fake news and critically analysing what they come across online, in an effort to combat the spread of false information on the internet.
Assembly Bill 873, which was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom last month, mandates that the state gradually implement media literacy into the English language arts, science, math, and history-social studies curriculum frameworks starting the following year. Throughout the academic year, the subject will be integrated into current classes and lessons rather than being taught as a stand-alone unit.
The bill’s sponsor, Menlo Park Democrat Assemblymember Marc Berman, said, “I’ve seen the impact that misinformation has had in the real world — how it affects the way people vote, whether they accept the outcomes of elections, try to overthrow our democracy.” “The goal is to ensure that our youth possess the abilities necessary to successfully traverse this terrain.”
The public’s mistrust of the media is growing, particularly among youth, which is why the new law was passed. According to a Pew Research Centre survey conducted in 2022, people under 30 are almost as inclined to believe information from social media sources as they are from mainstream media. A recent Gallup poll found that just 7% of Americans had “a great deal” of trust in the media overall.
Proponents contend that by teaching students to identify trustworthy news sources and the critical role the media plays in democracies, media literacy can help change that.
The rise in conspiracy theories gaining traction, denial of the Holocaust, denial of climate change, and now artificial intelligence, according to Jennifer Ormsby, library services manager for the Los Angeles County Office of Education, “all shows how important media literacy is for our democracy right now.” “The potential dangers and harms of fake news were brought to everyone’s attention during the 2016 election.”
AB 873 was approved by the Legislature almost overwhelmingly, demonstrating the topic’s apolitical nature. According to Media Literacy Now (PDF), a nonprofit research organisation that promotes media literacy in K–12 schools, more than a dozen more states are heading in that way. Across the country, Texas, New Jersey, and Delaware have also approved robust laws pertaining to media literacy.
Nevertheless, Media Literacy Now’s suggestions are not met by California’s legislation. California’s approach lacks surveys, an advisory group, financing for teacher training, librarian participation, and a mechanism to assess the law’s efficacy.
However, Berman said that simplifying the law would assist guarantee its passage. He believed it was critical to approve the bill as soon as possible so that pupils can begin receiving media literacy instruction as soon as feasible. Those elements can be added later. The state will start amending its curricular frameworks on January 1, 2024, when the law enters into force. Despite this, instructors are now urged to teach media literacy.
A earlier California initiative to introduce media literacy into K–12 classrooms is expanded upon by Berman’s law. In 2018, the California Department of Education was mandated by Senate Bill 830 to furnish K–12 educators in the state with media literacy tools, including project ideas, lesson plans, and background information. However, it did not impose mandated media literacy.
There are several similarities between the new law and California’s endeavours to provide computer science education to every kid. The state intends to make computer science, which can encompass elements of media literacy, mandatory for all students to take and perhaps even a prerequisite for high school graduation. Assembly Bill 1251, which establishes a panel to investigate strategies for luring more computer science educators to California classrooms, was just signed into law by Newsom. Additionally, Berman is the sponsor of Assembly Bill 1054, which mandates computer science education in high schools. That bill is currently stalled in the Senate.
Recognising and producing media
Instructors can teach students how to use media wisely without the requirement for a state law—some have been doing so for years. The pandemic served as a wake-up call for Merek Chang, a science teacher at Hacienda La Puente Unified, a high school in the City of Industry, east of Los Angeles.
He sent the pupils two articles about the coronavirus’s origins during the remote learning session. One came from a tabloid opinion piece in the New York Post, while the other was published in a scholarly journal. He questioned the class about which they believed to be true. Over 90% selected the Post article.
“It helped me realise that, in addition to focusing on the content, we also need to concentrate on the abilities needed to understand it.”
These days, he includes media literacy into every facet of his lesson planning. He participated in a KQED media literacy programme for teachers and depends on the Stanford History Education Group, which provides free resources for educators on media literacy.
He not only teaches students how to assess information found online, but he also demonstrates how to make original media. One homework project involves creating videos in the style of TikTok about the synthesis of proteins for mRNA vaccines. After that, students give presentations of their projects to the community and families at luncheons or at home.
According to Chang, “the biggest impact is that students feel like their voice matters.” “There’s more to the work than a grade. They believe they are having an impact.
For many years, Ormsby, the Los Angeles County librarian, has also advocated for media literacy. In general, librarians have been at the vanguard of teaching media literacy; the new law in California makes reference to the Modern School Library Standards for principles on media literacy.
Ormsby teaches ideas like “reverse imaging,” which is scanning the internet to track down the source of a photo or determine whether it has been manipulated, and “lateral reading,” which is comparing an online piece with other sources to ensure accuracy. Along with lesson ideas, materials, and book recommendations, she also offers “True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News” and “Killer Pants Invasion!,” which are appropriate for elementary school pupils. How to recognise conspiracy theories, misinformation, and false news
Although she is pleased that the law was approved, she would prefer that librarians be involved in the curriculum’s implementation and rollout from the beginning, rather than waiting until the frameworks are modified.
Sponsors of the measure, Generation Up, a student-led advocacy group, stated that the law’s delayed implementation was intentional because schools are already juggling a number of other state obligations. Alvin Lee is the executive director of Generation Up.
He anticipates that the local school boards will make media literacy instruction a top priority by providing funding for teacher training and acting quickly to implement it in the classroom.
Lee, a Stanford junior, stated that polarisation is a major concern among his peers and that “disinformation contributes to it, which we’re seeing happen all over the world.” “Material literacy can help with that.”
Ricardo Elizalde is a special assignment teacher in San Francisco Unified who teaches media literacy to elementary school teachers. In addition to encouraging kids to create their own media, his staff distributed fifty copies of ‘Killer Pants!’ to instructors as a starting point for activities.
He stated that the ideal moment to introduce the subject is in elementary school.
“We have to learn how to defend ourselves because we are exposed to so much media at a young age,” Elizalde stated. “A fundamental component of literacy is media literacy. Kids suffer if we only teach them how to read without encouraging them to consider the material critically.
