As engaged citizens and consumers, older Americans are often the target of online misinformation. This thorough, hands-on course from MediaWise for Seniors will teach you how to tell what’s true and false online. That includes an in-depth look at how social media platforms work, techniques like reverse image searches for identifying false information and lessons on how to be a responsible news consumer and a frank chat about how to talk to family members who share misinformation.
Christiane Amanpour and Joan Lunden — our esteemed MediaWise for Seniors Ambassadors — will also pop in to share their advice as world renowned journalists and help you protect yourself against misinformation.
We will not be telling you how to feel about topics or issues. Instead, we will teach you how to identify misinformation and disinformation online. Our goal is to help you make decisions that impact your life and your health, based on reliable, trustworthy information.
With ongoing misinformation about COVID-19, falling for false information on the internet is truly a matter of life and death. Protect yourself by improving your media literacy with this self-paced course.
FAQ
What is a self-directed course?
In a self-directed course, you can start and stop whenever you like, progressing entirely at your own pace and going back as many times as you want to review the material. The training consists of videos, readings, activities and quizzes. It should take between six and eight hours to complete all of the learning material.
What is MediaWise for Seniors?
MediaWise is a nonprofit, nonpartisan digital media literacy initiative led by The Poynter Institute. Its mission is to teach Americans of all ages how to sort fact from fiction online. MediaWise content has been viewed 17 million times by more than 9 million people since the project launched in 2018.
MediaWise for Seniors was announced in 2020 to bring MediaWise tips to the 50+ population. MediaWise for Seniors has a program funded by AARP to provide resources to their membership and a program funded by Facebook bringing virtual training and a social media awareness campaign to the senior population. The foundation of MediaWise was created with support from Google.org as part of Google News Initiative. Learn more at poynter.org/mediawise.
I’ve seen a few other trainings from MediaWise for Seniors. How is this one different?
This program is available to the general public and is funded by Facebook. Unlike the Live Fact-Checking Seminar (Winter 2020), which features live instruction over four weeks and has an enrollment cap, this self-directed course is available on-demand. Thousands of people are able to enroll at any time and take this more in-depth course at their own pace.
Do funders have control over the course?
No. We prize our reputation for teaching excellence, developed over more than four decades. To preserve that reputation, we retain independence and control over our teaching whether it is funded by tuition or a donor, such as a foundation or corporation. Read more about our ethics policy here.
Who can I contact for more information?
We’d love to hear from you. Email us at info@newsu.org.
