Third JEA lesson plan highlights importance of fact-checking

The third lesson plan in the Journalism Education Association’s “Understanding News Literacy” curriculum focuses on how to differentiate fact from fiction using resources available online. “Fact-checking in the Digital Age” explores the importance of verification and ensuring accuracy before sharing information.

The lesson begins with a discussion of accuracy in journalism and its importance to news consumers. Students are then asked to answer several questions by using reliable sources on the Internet. This process encourages them to search for bias and misinformation on the Web. Then, students compile a list of credible sites that can help them with future research.

The lesson is available for free on JEA’s website and is part of the Journalism Education Association’s weeklong news and information literacy curriculum designed by Dr. Megan Fromm and funded by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. Click here to download the lesson.

Members have access to more resources and JEA’s complete curriculum. Click here to become a member.

The News Literacy Project offers resources on fact-checking, as well. For example, a helpful video about the importance of fact-checking photos in the digital age features Mary Owen, NLP’s Chicago program manager, sharing tips and tools for verifying photos found on social media and elsewhere online. Click here to watch the video.