Teaching News Literacy in the Age of AI

World Press Freedom Day will be celebrated on May 3, 2026.  It's worth a look at new books related to this topic.  

TEACHING NEWS LITERACY IN THE AGE OF AI by Cathy Collins, an award-winning library media specialist, is an excellent resource. I wish that more schools made this topic (helping students to “recognize quality journalism, spot deepfakes, challenge misinformation, and critically analyze conspiracy theories”) a priority, but Collins has done a great job of compiling suggestions of resources (including multimedia tools and learning standards) related to these issues. A few examples (not all of which are free) include: Checkology (including several of their helpful posters); The News Literacy Project; ISTE (she extensively references their standards); PBS Learning Media; and Newsela. Some of her information is revealing, but from a decade ago and warrants updating, as do her references to Stanford History Education Group, now called Digital Inquiry Group. However, the more I read, the more excited and interested I became. It does take a while to get to the section on “Learning Activities,” but that is filled with ideas related to Social Studies, Science, Health, Mathematics and more. Also, this text could work well in a secondary newspaper class – an entire lesson could review the Code of Ethics for the Society of Professional Journalists or the eight factors (e.g., timeliness, proximity, interest, conflict) which Collins lists that “news organizations might use to evaluate whether to cover a particular event.” There are multiple Appendices, including a News Literacy Glossary. As Collins writes, “The future of informed citizenship is less about passively consuming information and much more about actively interrogating it. … Teaching them to question what they see, seek diverse viewpoints, and practice self-regulated attention is more important than ever.” 

THE INFORMATION STATE by Jacob Siegel (a contributing writer at Tablet, an American conservative magazine focused on Jewish news and culture) is subtitled “Politics in the Age of Total Control.” Siegel makes some thought-provoking claims such as when he explores the relationship between information and state power (“regime’s ultimate aim was not to censor or oppress, but to rule. … the information state refers to a form of government that replaces the democratic principle of consent with control”). However, I was very disappointed by his early comment when he wrote “I doubt that more than a few dozen people had been conversant in the finer points of the disinformation field at the start of 2016.” He only had to look at the critical thinking or information literacy (a term not included in his book) work being championed by librarians and educators at that time or the winner of that year’s National Business Book Award: A Field Guide to Lies by Daniel J. Levitin. In addition, Seigel seems to have a bias against President Obama and some of the actions taken by his administration; he certainly objects to attempts to even insinuate that Russia influenced the 2016 election while simultaneously rarely referencing the blatant and obvious lies from subsequent administrations. Overall, reviews are mixed: Booklist says, THE INFORMATION STATE “will challenge and enlighten readers on every page,” whereas Publishers Weekly describes it as a “hit-or-miss debut account.”

We the People by Jill Lepore

WE THE PEOPLE by Jill Lepore (the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and professor of law at Harvard Law School) offers a history of the U.S. Constitution. Stressing the ability to endure through adaptation, she divides the lengthy text chronologically, looking first at the “Invention” of the Constitution during the end of the eighteenth century. Next, covering almost the entire nineteenth century, including the Civil War and its aftermath, is a section titled “The Contest over Interpretation.” Subsequently, Lepore describes the “Pattern of Amendment” from 1905 to 1959. The final part (through 2016) is called “The End of Amendment.” Each section is full of anecdotes and careful analysis. In her introduction, Lepore notes, “This book aims to chronicle the origins of amendment, to identify the conditions under which amendment is possible, to examine why the practice of amendment has been abandoned, and to reckon with the question of whether the constitution can endure without it.” It seems particularly critical for Americans to become familiar with texts such as this, especially as we encounter ongoing debate over rights enshrined in the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Lepore’s WE THE PEOPLE is the notable nonfiction Library Reads selection for September and it received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly (“galvanizing and paradigm-shifting”), Kirkus (interview here), and Booklist (“phenomenally researched, eminently accessible, and acutely relevant history”). She was also featured recently on PBS NewsHour; here is a video of that interview:

Also highly recommended: The Words We Live by from Linda R. Monk; even at twenty years old, this text is a wonderful summary of a core American document. And look for The Bill of Obligations by Richard Haass wherein he describes “The Ten Habits of Good Citizens” and offers multiple related resources, including teaching notes.  Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17 and offers a reminder to honor American values and rule of law. 

Hello, Cruel World! by Melinda Wenner Moyer

HELLO, CRUEL WORLD! by Melinda Wenner Moyer offers “Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times.” In ten chapters Wenner Moyer, a contributing editor at Scientific American and a regular contributor to The New York Times, looks at Coping, Connecting, and Cultivating, all presented in a conversational, non-judgmental and helpful way. Adam Grant writes, “[Moyer’s] book is packed with evidence-based, nonobvious practical advice for nurturing resilience, kindness, critical thinking, and well-being.” I certainly saw the critical thinking aspect in the entire chapter devoted to Information Literacy which is full of ideas (including discussion prompts), plus some organizations (Thinking is Power, Reboot Foundation, etc.) that I did not know as well as skills (e.g., lateral reading) school librarians have been talking about for years. Other chapters cover self-compassion, resilience, self-control, relaxing, empathy, friendships, curiosity/inclusion, plus financial and information literacy and managing social media. HELLO, CRUEL WORLD! is a text which parents – and educators – should consult and discuss. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of key points, and the author also includes 300+ citations in a separate section. As Wenner Moyer says, much of her writing is about “being intentional about our choices and the kinds of conversations we have with our kids. … I implore you to take the advice that feels like it will be a good fit and leave the rest.”  

Beyond the Horse Race by John Zogby

Booklist called BEYOND THE HORSE RACE by John Zogby “A timely read for the politically inclined.” To be honest, I was a bit turned off by the patronizing attitude in his Acknowledgments section which the author displayed towards his daughters-in-law who “made substantial contributions to the production of our babies.” His text is designed to explore “How to Read Polls and Why We Should” but the graphs did not display properly in the preview copy I had. This made it difficult to fully appreciate his points. Zogby, a political consultant and the founder of the Zogby International Poll, does provide a short section at the end of each chapter which summarizes its “lessons” such as “don’t be a victim of myopia and insularity.” Another observation he offers: “Numbers produce stories. Imagination and hard work help us find the stories behind the numbers.” There are many stories and tales here spanning decades which a specialized audience will likely enjoy if they can discount the author’s tone. Slightly less than twenty percent of the text is devoted to notes, an extensive list of Works Cited, and an index. 

Brave New Words by Salman Khan

BRAVE NEW WORDS by Salman Khan describes his views on “How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thing).” Unfortunately, there are not enough specifics to really guide interested teachers or parents. Like everything else, AI will have an adoption curve and this text does not help innovators and early adopters convince others in their school system of the potential value of AI. Khan recently spoke about his new book at a Family Action Network event with Angela Duckworth.  It was only around minute 50 (video to be posted soon) that he seemed to spark enthusiasm with ideas about using AI to facilitate break out groups or thesis development. In my experience, one needs to really show the majority of teachers how a new tech could be applied in their field before there is widespread use. It is very confusing for students if different teachers are not making tech accessible in similar ways. For starters, K-12 is a huge range; plus, as Khan points out, this is an extremely complex undertaking due to concerns about student privacy, cheating, assessments, job security, etc. Khan touches on these points in his new text and ends with a general “call for educated bravery” wherein “each of us has an obligation to make sure that we use this technology responsibly.”

The field is in flux as the recent announcement by Microsoft and Khan Academy indicates; although they are making the service free for teachers there would still be charges for students and parents. This is a business model – even if Khan Academy is a non-profit with ambitious goals. Seems like more affluent districts will have the infrastructure (e.g., IT consultants and specialized tech staff) in place to at least trial this tech, but doesn’t that (temporarily?) reinforce disparity in education? Could a condition of use be an arrangement with a “sister” district? Or, what incentives could State Boards of Education be encouraged to establish?  

More info on Sal Khan and his latest endeavors concerning AI are provided in this Ted Talk:

Washington Post commentator Josh Tyrangiel says that Khanamigo is “the first AI software I’m excited for my kids to use.” The debate will continue and giving students reliable one-on-one tutoring – meeting them where they are – is exciting. Figuring out an equitable distribution mechanism is key.

They Came for the Schools by Mike Hixenbaugh

It seems fitting to honor the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision Brown v Board of Education (May 17, 1954) with a review of THEY CAME FOR THE SCHOOLS by Mike Hixenbaugh in which he writes about “One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms.” Hixenbaugh’s credentials are impressive: senior investigative reporter for NBC News, named a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and won a Peabody Award for his reporting on the battle over race, gender, and sexuality in American classrooms. His debut is extremely well-written, if disturbing, as he skillfully details a history of school composition and curriculum restrictions in the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, Texas, a Dallas suburb. By requiring large lots for housing, Southlake had essentially screened for wealth and race so that “three decades after Brown, America’s schools had effectively resegregated, perhaps not explicitly based on race, but according to wealth, geography, and social status.” Moving forward in time, Hixenbaugh recounts how a 2018 viral video with a racial slur prompted district officials to take action to establish a diversity program and the resulting backlash. Much of this has been presented in Hixenbaugh’s podcast: Southlake, critiqued here in Texas Monthly. His book also describes situations in Virginia, Florida and other states; plus, he chronicles the impact of national politics (and neighborhood PACs) on local school board elections and actions. There is a section on book bans: “without fail, parents leading this new phase of school board activism reported that they were merely fighting to shield their children from graphic sexual content that violated their family’s values. But many parents and activists were conflating references to gender identity and sexual orientation with sex and pornography.” Hixenbaugh is unflinching in presenting tough situations and the blow to quality teaching and to student well-being. His research is evident (roughly fifteen percent of the text is devoted to notes and bibliographic references) and this book deserves a wide readership.

Other commentary on THEY CAME FOR THE SCHOOLS:  The Washington Post review says, “This razor-sharp book is the masterful culmination of years of reportage.” And Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, remarking, “an extraordinarily detailed analysis of current conservative thought and political activity.” But the most succinct is from Booklist, “This is a frightening but all too real piece of reporting, and belongs in every library.”

American Deadline ... reporting from four news-starved towns

AMERICAN DEADLINE by Greg Glassner, Charles Richardson, Sandra Sanchez, and Jason Togyer is a timely text about “Reporting from Four News-Starved Towns in the Trump Era.” Here, four journalists have collaborated with Columbia Journalism School to document their thoughts throughout much of 2020. The initial idea was that the election would be a major story and that this text could perhaps provide insight about smaller towns and cities in a way that seemed lacking in 2016. Well, the main story of 2020 turned into COVID and this project evolved. It is interesting to see the reflections from such a diverse group of places, the first two of which have lost their local papers while the other two have shrunk: McKeesport, Pennsylvania, is near Pittsburgh having lost many manufacturing jobs; Bowling Green, Virginia, largely rural and estranged from the state’s blue cities; McAllen, Texas, dealing with the border crisis; and Macon, Georgia, still dealing with “America’s troubled reckoning with race.” Glassner et al. provide some insights, but a more thorough summary of patterns (and possible next steps?) would have been a helpful addition.

The loss of local journalism is a dire situation. A few years ago, Art Cullen told an impressive story in Storm Lake while the University of North Carolina, in conjunction with The Knight Foundation, developed a comprehensive database on The Expanding News Desert which is itself referenced in AMERICAN DEADLINE. The News Literacy Project also attempts to fill a gap with some excellent Resources for Educators. If we do not have an educated citizenry who can agree on basic facts, then attempts at compromise and governance will become even more fraught.

Added note: Only recently, The New York Times published “It’s Not a Good Sign When People Who Don’t Pay for News Have So Little to Choose From.” Equally worrisome may be the attempts by attorney generals from Missouri and Louisiana to quell efforts to combat disinformation campaigns: see articles in New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Technology's Child by Katie Davis

TECHNOLOGY'S CHILD is a newly released text by Katie Davis who is the Director of the University of Washington (UW) Digital Youth Lab. As an Associate Professor at UW, she teaches courses on child development and technology design; her interest in young children is readily apparent as she begins with a chapter on early childhood and early literacy. Subsequent sections detail the relationship between technology and learning for older children and tweens as well as questions of identity and agency for adolescents and young adults. A decade ago, Davis and her mentor, Howard Gardner collaborated on The App Generation. Davis describes her new book as “a set of readily accessible and actionable ideas” for a varied audience, including parents, teachers, policymakers, design teams, and students themselves, particularly those interested in researching this topic. And there is plenty of detail to assist researchers – the extensive notes comprise roughly a third of the book. Davis probes inequities in the educational system while exploring two key questions: What is the impact of different kinds of technology? and How can technology be designed to support children’s development? Her take on “Digital Media’s Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up” is worth a look, as is Behind Their Screens which deals more with teens and is also published by MIT Press.

Information seeking behavior and critical thinking

PURPOSEFUL CURIOSITY by Constantine Andriopoulosis is designed to “inspire a movement that awakens purposeful curiosity as the foundation of innovation and art.”  The author is Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Bayes Business School (City, University of London) and his teaching expertise is readily apparent in this easy-to-follow text. Andriopoulos first contends that we “have become addicted to breadth over depth, worshiping quick and straightforward answers,” noting the importance of mindset and inspiration. He outlines sub-components of each (e.g., asking questions like What if? Am I sure? What’s next?). Interspersed are quotes and reflection from various entrepreneurs and innovators – Andriopoulos interviewed over 60 financiers, scientists, teachers, explorers, journalists and more (full list is provided in an appendix) for this book. Each of nine subsequent chapters develops a “lesson” on topics like Uncover your itch to know, Go down the rabbit hole and Develop resilience in the face of adversity. Again, Andriopoulos employs numerous examples from his interviews and lists extensive sources in a notes section. For example, he points to several studies showing that “Curiosity – the urge to know, to see, or to experience …. has long been associated with positive emotions, lower levels of anxiety, strengthened relationships, achievement, and longevity.” PURPOSEFUL CURIOSITY is a super accessible way to investigate “The Power of Asking the Right Questions at the Right Time.”  

THE PERSUADERS by Anand Giridharadas is a look through a predominately progressive lens “At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy.” Giridharadas, best-selling author of Winners Take All and award-winning former New York Times columnist, profiles several activists, beginning with Linda Sarsour and the Women’s March on Washington. He also writes about how “an astonishing 17 percent of Americans were said to be QAnon believers now.” It is painful to read some of the examples that Giridharadas cites: “a plague of grief without deaths. People mourned the lost living, whose minds had passed on to some strange beyond.” He goes on to describe research that advocates for “appeal[ing] to them instead as critical thinkers who deserve to know that they are being misled.” One of the sources he mentions is John Cook’s Cranky Uncle vs. Climate Change. That text explores concepts like fake experts, logical fallacies, impossible expectations, cherry pricking, and conspiracy theories in an often humorous way which may be more appealing for students. As Giridharadas says, “What if you accepted their lies as here to stay and sought to forge citizens resistant to them?” Librarians and information literacy experts have so much to do. Giridharadas raises many good points and questions, but the text has weaknesses: he focuses almost exclusively on highlighting a progressive/liberal viewpoint and there is no bibliography despite use of statistics and other evidence in the text. The narratives were interesting, but it was not always easy to follow the argument’s flow or develop a useful persuasion playbook. However, THE PERSUADERS received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus. Have a critical thinking look and decide for yourself.

What the Fact? by Seema Yasmin

WHAT THE FACT? by Seema Yasmin is a work about Media Literacy whose main goal is to instruct regarding “Finding the Truth in All the Noise.”  That is a much-needed and admirable goal, but unfortunately, I feel that this title falls a bit short. My main concern is that the preview at least seems very dense and therefore not all that engaging for young people and students. It does have a few memorable illustrations (one refers to diversity in newsrooms and amongst readers) and could have benefited from more. Roughly ten percent of the text is devoted to helpful sources and notes. I am curious to see a print version, particularly since both Kirkus and Publishers Weekly gave WHAT THE FACT? a starred review. Other related titles that we have purchased include Renee Hobbs’ Media Literacy in Action and Megan Fromm’s Student Journalism & Media Literacy as well as several texts about critical thinking. 

Making Numbers Count

MAKING NUMBERS COUNT by Chip Heath and Karla Starr is all about “The Art and Science of Communicating Numbers.” Kirkus sums up this text as follows: “Astute advice for business people and educators.” The authors note that their book “is based on a simple observation: we lose information when we don’t translate numbers into instinctive human experience.” They offer over 30 possible translation techniques (e.g., use calendar time – like every day for almost 4 months instead of saying 112). Heath and Starr explain the value of visual comparisons – like a pack of cards instead of a 4 ounce portion or thinking of all the world’s water as filling a gallon container (saltwater from the oceans) and three ice cubes (fresh water) with humans only able to drink the few drops melting off the cubes. Memorable, right? Other sections of the book suggest using emotional numbers and translating to a human scale. The examples go on and on, including the New York Times effort to convey the loss of human life to Covid-19 by posting the names and a small fact about just 1000 people -- still filling over 5 pages. Our Library collection has included numerous other texts by the Heath brothers (e.g., Switch; Decisive; Made to Stick; and The Power of Moments) and we will be adding MAKING NUMBERS COUNT soon.

Critical thinking, misinformation and science denial

THE LIFE-CHANGING SCIENCE OF DETECTING BULLSHIT by John V. Petrocelli will capture attention due to its provocative title and its key message: “to recognize that it is that it is to your distinct advantage to seek evidence and truth, … [to] ask yourself and others important, critical thinking questions.” Petrocelli, a Professor of Psychology at Wake Forest University, studies “the causes of bullshit, its potential benefits to individuals, its consequences to society, and how people can better detect and dispose of its unwanted effects.” In each chapter, he relates stories (e.g., making a major purchase like a diamond ring or buying real estate), and discusses how the surrounding BS (diamonds have great resale value) can have a negative impact, arguing that “failed bullshit detection is usually about things people don’t do and the questions they don’t ask.” He reviews the scientific method and offers a list encapsulating the basic habits (e.g., listening, curiosity, perserverance, awareness of bias, and so on) of critical thinking. Petrocelli also includes a Glossary about problems of thinking which will be of interest, especially to our Psychology students. And, he appends numerous notes (at least twenty percent of the book) with bibliographic information and additional comments. For a brief overview of his work, see the March 2019 Ted Talk he gave on “Why BS is more dangerous than a lie.”

Forthcoming from MIT Press, HOW TO TALK TO A SCIENCE DENIER by Lee McIntyre is subtitled “Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason.” McIntyre, a Research Fellow at Boston University, refers to recent studies like “Effective Strategies for Rebutting Science Denialism in Public Discussions” by Schmid and Betsch and the 2017 essay by Shermer on “How to Convince Someone when Facts Fail” and many, many more. Giving generous credit, McIntyre skillfully weaves copious research into his text, exploring in detail five common factors across science deniers: cherrypicking evidence; belief in conspiracy theories; reliance on fake experts; logic errors; and impossible expectations for what science can achieve. Echoing comments from Galef’s The Scout Mindset, he points out, for example, that “scientists do not merely look for support for what they hope to be true; they design tests that can show whether their hypothesis might be false.” He devotes an entire chapter to the Coronavirus which seems particularly relevant, given the amount of vaccine hesitancy which is currently being exhibited. McIntyre is so very passionate about this topic that he can sound preach-y at times, but he offers constructive advice. We all need to keep in mind his point that “one of the greatest weapons we have to fight back against science denial is to embrace uncertainty as a strength rather than a weakness of science. … We need to teach people not just the facts of science but also its values, and how those values inform the processes by which science makes its discoveries.”