Editorial standards and ethics policy
MediaWise maintains five pillars of editorial standards that all content must adhere to.
Teen Creator Network
Today’s teens are not just scrolling through the news. They are explaining it, reacting to it and sharing it with their peers on social media.
Across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, young creators are breaking down headlines, debating viral stories and helping their followers understand what is happening in the world. But as teens share information online, they can be vulnerable to scams, conspiracies and deepfakes. Knowing how to verify what is true and use tools like AI responsibly has become more important than ever.
That is the idea behind the Teen Creator Network.
The Teen Creator Network is built on the success of MediaWise’s Teen Fact-Checking Network, launched in 2019 to train middle and high school students to verify what they see online. Expanded in 2026, Teen Creator Network is a virtual newsroom made up of 13- to 20-year-olds who provide news, media literacy tips and viral misinformation debunks to their peers on social media. The Teen Creator Network has been a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network’s code of principles since 2020.
Read
Fact-check Archive
Check out our work! See a complete list of transcripts and sources for our fact-checks here.
AI Unlocked
A series of videos and lessons to help teens safely and responsibly navigate the world of generative artificial intelligence.
Media Literacy + Civics
From the beginning, the freedoms of speech and the press were seen as fundamental to democracy. Now in the digital age, where misinformation spreads faster than ever, developing critical thinking skills to discern fact from fiction is the foundation of informed civic participation. From resources created by teens for teens to quick-hit lesson plans for classrooms, check out our ever-growing suite of civics-centered media literacy resources.
Fact-checks
The TFCN publishes fact-checks across social media. Check out our YouTube series, ‘Is This Legit?’
Be MediaWise Curriculum
MediaWise and PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs offer free lesson plans for any teacher based on Teen Fact-Checking Network Videos.
In the news
MediaWise’s Teen Fact-Checking Network expands across Europe
Known as TFCN Europe, the peer-to-peer fact-checking and media literacy initiative will now be operating in six European Union countries
April 2, 2025
MediaWise’s peer-to-peer global network launches in Canada
Poynter partners with MediaSmarts to launch the Teen Fact-Checking Network in English and French
March 11, 2024
MediaWise’s Teen Fact-Checking Network launches in Spain
Poynter partners with Verificat and Mobile World Capital Barcelona to expand the peer-to-peer network in Europe.
February 12, 2024
Watch out for claims about ‘crisis actors’ in Gaza
This photo posted on Facebook in early November got a lot of attention. It shows…
February 5, 2024
