The ABC is running a Media Literacy Week with the aim of equipping people of all ages with the skills to sort truth from fiction in news and information.
The week-long program will run September 10-16.
This announcement follows new research by the ABC and University of Tasmania showing one in four teachers feels unable to help students distinguish between fake news and trustworthy news.
Dr. Claire Wardle
ABC head of Education Annabel Astbury said: “The ABC’s Media Literacy Week is a comprehensive survival guide, ensuring all Australians can navigate news, opinion and information. In a world where fake news and misinformation are rife, the ABC is best-placed to help Australians sort truth from fiction.”
Headlining Media Literacy Week is the Navigating the News Conference on September 10-11. It will explore the issue of declining trust in journalism and the need for better media literacy.
ABC Education has created a suite of resources aligned with the curriculum to help students understand and analyse news and information, including a News Diet challenge, media literacy interactives and videos of journalists explaining concepts such as bias and sources.
The ABC News Media Literacy Week website features articles examining issues such as fact checking, deepfakes and the weaponisation of social media, along with video explainers, tips and quizzes to immunise people against dodgy information.
ABC Radio content will include interviews with key speakers from the Navigating the News Conference such as Dr Claire Wardle, a global expert on truth in the digital age. Some of the conference sessions will also be broadcast on the ABC News channel and iview.
For more information visit abc.net.au/medialiteracyweek.