The first National News Literacy Week is taking place Jan. 27-31.
The initiative, presented by The E.W. Scripps Company and the nonprofit News Literacy Project, provides educators, students and the general public with easy-to-implement tips and tools to help them sort fact from fiction in today’s media landscape.
News literacy is a "fundamental life skill" and it is the mission of Scripps and KTNV-TV Channel 13 to educate the public about the importance of news literacy and the role of the free press in America.
“Our democracy faces a significant threat from disinformation. and the solution is news literacy—the ability for the American people to discern fact from opinion and journalism from advertising or even propaganda,” Scripps president and CEO Adam Symson said in a statement about the week.
KTNV-TV Channel 13 also chose a local high school journalism student to work with in producing a story important to that student in the weeks leading up to National News Literacy Week.
We chose Natalie Atamian, who is a journalism student at Bishop Gorman High School. Natalie chose to address the issue of vaping by Gen Z for her story. Natalie says that she believes that her peers don't know what's being put into their lungs and the danger posed by vaping.
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Atamian worked closely with KTNV-TV Channel 13 managers and reporters throughout the news-gathering process. She spoke with local public health officials, doctors, vape shop owners and one young man who vapes.
RELATED STORY: Behind the scenes of the National News Literacy Project and Channel 13
Natalie's story will premiere on Channel 13 at 6 p.m. Jan. 27.
In addition, educators and the public will have access to lessons from the NLP's Checkology virtual classroom throughout the week. There will be a different lesson each day.
● Monday: Navigating the information landscape
● Tuesday: Identifying standards-based journalism
● Wednesday: Understanding bias—yours and others’
● Thursday: Journalists as democracy’s watchdog
● Friday: Recognizing misinformation
To find out more about National News Literacy Week, click here.
