February 21, 2020
In a deluge of 24/7 information, how can Americans know which facts to trust? The E.W. Scripps Company is helping to create a more informed electorate with a national public awareness campaign on the importance of news literacy and the role of the free press in American democracy.
The campaign to “double-check your facts,” created in partnership with the News Literacy Project (NLP) culminated in National News Literacy Week, Jan. 27-31. Broadcasters’ unique localism makes their work a great fit for this project. McLaughlin said, “As purveyors of fact in local communities across the country, local TV journalists are well-positioned to help news consumers navigate our increasingly complex information environment so they feel empowered to act on the information they are consuming.”
“Scripps is a 141-year-old media company with a longstanding commitment to create a better-informed world through objective journalism,” McLaughlin continued. “Its motto, ‘give light and the people will find their own way,’ guides our work to inform the communities we serve so that people can make the best decisions for their lives.”
Throughout National News Literacy Week, Scripps’ local television stations and its multiplatform news brand Newsy aired stories related to the topic of news literacy. All of Scripps’ local and national brands ran the multiplatform advertising campaign, which invites the public to test their news literacy knowledge through “The Easiest Quiz of All Time” — a short test emphasizing the importance of double-checking facts even when they are believed to be well known.
Across the nation, Scripps journalists worked directly with high schools in their communities to produce original pieces of student journalism and taught them about the standards and principles journalists use to identify, research and produce a story. The stories, which focus on issues of importance to local audiences in each market, premiered throughout the week on-air and online across Scripps’ stations; a selection is available at the campaign landing page, NewsLiteracyWeek.org.
“The week was just one part of Scripps’ ongoing partnership with NLP to address the need for news literacy – the ability to discern fact from fiction,” said McLaughlin. “Beyond the week, Scripps journalists will continue working with NLP on projects to advance news literacy education including NLP’s Newsroom-to-Classroom program, in which journalists teach middle and high school students about news literacy and the role of a free press in our democracy.”
Scripps’ partnership with NLP to help the next generation of news consumers learn to separate credible information from misinformation in today’s complex media landscape. To learn more, visit NewsLiteracyWeek.org and follow #NewsLiteracyWeek on social media.
Local television stations are the most trusted source of news according to a Pew study, and with examples such as Scripps’ news literacy program, it's no wonder broadcasters are where Americans turn to get the news they trust.
More than 2.47 million American jobs depend on broadcasting, and the local broadcast radio and television industry - and the businesses that depend on it - generate $1.17 trillion annually for the nation's economy.
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