Hello! This an optional reading practice activity. This quiz will not be graded.

Instructions: Use your previewing, skimming, and scanning skills to find answers to the questions below.

Can you separate fact from fiction?

Billboards are just one type of media that people consume daily.

"Times Square Night" by Chensiyuan via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC0

In 2014, Americans spent about 7.4 hours a day consuming media on the Internet. They weren’t in the lead. The Philippines, a country of islands in the Pacific Ocean, won that award. The people of the Philippines spend about 9.6 hours a day on Internet from their desktops, laptops and mobile devices.

People are spending a huge amount of time on the Internet all over the world. There is a great need for media literacy.

What is media literacy?

People are flooded with messages. It doesn't matter if they get them online, on television or in newspapers. Media literacy is about understanding how and why messages are being spread. It starts with asking the right questions: Who created this message? What words or images are used in this message, and why? How is this message supposed to make me feel?

The need for media literacy grows as messages become more frequent and complex.

NYC Subway Riders with their Newspapers by Travis Ruse via Wikimedia Commons is licensed under CC0

Why is media literacy important?

Media literacy teaches you to think carefully about information. You learn to ask the right questions, look at different points of view and make connections between new and old ideas. These questions aren’t just important for watching television or checking a smartphone. Critical thinking helps you do well in other parts of life such as in the classroom or at the office.

The Center for Media Literacy is an organization that teaches media literacy. It gives five more reasons to understand the media today:

You need two skills to be a citizen of a democracy: critical thinking and self-expression. Media literacy teaches both.
You hear and see more media messages in one day than other people did in the past. Media literacy teaches you how to understand these messages.
Media has a big effect on the way we understand and act. Media literacy helps you understand these influences. It gives you the power to make better decisions.
Images are becoming more and more important. Learning how to “read” these images is just as necessary as reading the text.
Media literacy helps you understand where information comes from. It also helps you understand who it benefits and how to find other views.

How can I become media literate?

Pay careful attention to what you read, watch and hear. Do this often. You’ll become more aware of its purpose. You'll also be able to tell fact from fiction. For more information about media literacy, visit the Center for Media Literacy and the National Association for Media Literacy Education.

© 2019. Can You Separate Fact from Fiction? for the AE ETeacher Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by FHI 360. This work is an adaptation of Can You Separate Fact From Fiction by ShareAmerica.gov. Adapted content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/