How A Journalism...
accused of singlehandedly swaying the election. A subsequent Pew Research study indicated that 23 percent of Americans claim to have shared a made-up news story – either knowingly or not.
Whether it’s labeled “fake news” or newfangled propaganda, misinformation undermines institutions and spreads baseless beliefs. It’s also likely to have a long-term effect on the next generation of voters.
Beyond critical thinking Curricular standards now emphasize “critical thinking” as a cornerstone of contemporary education. Critical thinking speaks to a need for young people to become discerning interpreters of information and to make judgments based on thoughtful analysis.
Yet, the term’s meaning remains elusive for many educators, and clear methodologies for cultivating it are scarce.
I prefer the term “informed thinking” to describe a deeper level of student engagement, one that my research indicates can better prepare young people to effectively navigate the complex and nuanced landscape of modern news and social media.
An informed thinker is someone who has researched a topic and has been thoughtful in making sure that what he is presenting is credible, valid and well-researched. Informed thinking articulates a clearer method and result than critical thinking. Students learn to detect biases and agendas in media and are empowered to distinguish fact from fiction.
I would argue that this approach makes students more than savvy consumers: Informed thinkers become effective problem solvers, emerge as content creators and learn to advocate for public good. The Maine Department of Education formulated this perspective 20 years ago and has since adopted it as a guiding principle.
Journalism in the classroom
My research builds on a legacy of previous studies that confirm that students who have journalism or publication experience earn better grades and test scores than their peers who do not. They also develop more effectively as informed thinkers.
At the University of Oregon, our School of Journalism and Communication and our College of Education have partnered with education thought leaders Esther Wojcicki and Tara Guber to develop and pilot curricula for middle schools and high schools that get to the heart of these matters. The Journalistic Learning Initiative (JLI) is an experiencebased program designed to enhance existing English Language Arts courses with specific emphasis on information gathering, storytelling and publishing.
During the 2016-17 academic year, JLI facilitated programs at Oaklea Middle School and Springfield High School, both in Oregon. According to an independent assessment (not yet published), 85 to 90 percent of the participating students agreed that the journalistic skills learned in JLI were useful and relevant.
In September 2017, JLI will expand to include four more Oregon schools, and two in Los Angeles.
There are other programs with similar missions: the Journalism Education Association (JEA), which offers training and support for student publication advisors; the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan nonprofit that brings working journalists into classrooms; and the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University in New York, which offers news literacy course materials online. While these programs can all support the work of teachers and advisors, JLI excels by embedding its methods into an existing curriculum.
Moving forward Student media programs are by no means a new phenomenon, but recent trends suggest that student newspapers are in decline. Journalism programs, where they exist, rarely count as English credit. In my experience they’re typically underfunded afterschool programs or are offered under the guise of yearbook clubs. There are few courses or curricula that teach media literacy, research fundamentals and content creation technology.
The Common Core State Standards call for 70 percent of the texts emphasized in an English Language Arts curriculum to be nonfiction by 12th grade. The standards also stress the importance of media creation.
Though journalism doesn’t have the same curricular status as Advanced Placement or Honors English, it does embody important fundamentals common to these – and most – educational standards: research methods, content creation and media literacy. What’s more, it’s an opportunity for educators to play a part in helping students become truly informed thinkers.
As misinformation continues to plague the public, journalism education presents a familiar yet untapped resource.