“Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust. Without trust, we have no shared reality, and it becomes impossible to deal with the existential problems we face.”
Maria Ressa (Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist)
This war on truth isn’t theoretical. We’ve seen it in political messaging , AI deep fakes, and media manipulation. Now that we get our information dispersed across podcasts, vlogs, and text messages it is becoming harder to tell fact from fiction. Disinformation distracts us, divides us, and discredits our movements. In today's world, elected officials share false stories about immigrants to stoke xenophobic and anti-Black sentiments to drive votes. Conspiracy theories fuel distrust and are used to undermine social justice movements. In this fast-paced Age of Information, we must learn to distinguish between propaganda and education and sensationalism and journalism.
The good news? You don't need a college degree to be media literate. Every day, people have always been truth-tellers, especially in our families and communities. Whether you're an auntie sharing news in a group chat, a teen on social media, or someone just trying to stay informed without getting overwhelmed, this guide is for you.
