Poynter reports the coronavirus pandemic has fueled a surge in media literacy efforts. The story said that in India, the United States, and Brazil, fact-checking and media literacy organizations are training citizens to confront the new coronavirus "infodemic." The groups are trying to teach people how to sort through and verify all the information out there.
The Shop Talk panelists consider this an important endeavor, especially during the ongoing global health pandemic. They believe the media should be treated as a public asset.
The panelists are also concerned that too many online sites use click bait or “gotcha journalism” to attract audiences. They said media literacy efforts can help news consumers recognize what constitutes fact-based reporting.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier, the students at student radio station The Dog, and the WIU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Rajvee Subramanian, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.
