News Literacy: 20 Seconds to Combat Misinformation

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Take 20 seconds. Wash your hands. Double-check countent before you share.

News literacy is a basic life skill. The News Literacy Project is encouraging everyone to take 20 seconds--the same amount of time it takes to wash your hands--to fact check information before you share it. When in doubt, don't share.

The News Literacy quiz "Can You Make Sense of Data" highlights how misleading the relationship between the data and headlines can be. Try our Media Literacy quiz to test your skills with images and webpages. Here at the ibrary, we're using News Literacy Week to dispel some myths about how you can get the news.

Myth: Good news is behind paywalls

With your library card, you can access The Gainesville Sun, Newsbank, the New York Times, magazines, and more

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Newsbank
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The New York Times
 
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RB Digital

Myth: Sharing on Facebook is Harmless

You never know who will read what you share. Stick to the facts. Find more tips from these items in our collection.

 
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Cover of Debunk it! How to Stay Sane in A World of Misinformation
 
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Cover of Virtual Unreality Just Because the Internet Told You How Do You Know Its True

Myth: I can't fact-check this myself

The library has Issues & Controversies, MasterFILE, and our staff to help you fact-check information. Call your local branch for help.

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Ebscohost MasterFile Premier
 
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Alachua County Library District

 

Unfollowing news sites on your social media and muting different terms when possible are all good methods for developing healthy news consumption habits. You can watch the video below for more tips on how to analyze graphs in the news. This News Literacy Week remember--take 20 seconds to double-check before you share to stop the spread of misinformation.

By Courtney on August 3, 2021