What is MediaWise?

You may have heard that “NBC News” and “Dateline NBC” anchor Lester Holt is the first ambassador for Poynter’s nonprofit MediaWise project. Or maybe you watched Holt’s segment about MediaWise on “NBC Nightly News.”

MediaWise is a groundbreaking digital literacy project that engages with teenagers both online and in school. The mission of the project is to teach 1 million teenagers — half from underserved communities — how to sort fact from fiction on the internet by 2020.

Will you help us spread facts, not falsehoods? Support MediaWise today.

Donate

While teens are generally regarded as digitally savvy, research from our partners at Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) shows that the vast majority of teenagers have trouble navigating digital information — whether it’s viral hoaxes on Instagram, misinformation campaigns on Facebook, or sponsored content on news websites. MediaWise addresses these issues with new curriculum to be deployed in fall 2019, in-person events at schools nationwide and fact-checking content and outreach via social media.

Learn from MediaWise

The primary way MediaWise will reach one million teens is through middle school and high school curriculum designed by the Stanford History Education Group that will be available to teachers across the country this fall to download — for free.

While the curriculum is being piloted and tested, the MediaWise team at Poynter is working with Local Media Association and National Association for Media Literacy Education to visit schools and teach the fact-checking skills the curriculum is built on.

>>Contact mwtips@poynter.org to bring MediaWise to your school.

Feb. 13, 2019: “NBC News” and “Dateline NBC” anchor Lester Holt and MediaWise hold a joint event at Washington D.C.’s Woodrow Wilson High School to teach the students about digital literacy.

Follow MediaWise

The MediaWise project uses social media to teach and engage with teens across America. Follow us @MediaWise on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook for original fact-checking content created by our team, our partners and our own teen fact-checking network.

Also check out the 10-part CrashCourse series Navigating Digital Information on YouTube, hosted by best-selling author John Green which goes through the MediaWise tips and tricks and also gives a sneak peek into the curriculum being developed by MediaWise partner Stanford History Education Group.

Work with MediaWise

Join the MediaWise teen fact-checking network! You’ll learn how to create original fact-checking videos for Instagram and other platforms and help us teach the MediaWise tips along the way.

If you’re in middle school or high school in the U.S. and interested, contact the team at mwtips@poynter.org.

MediaWise frame at workshop

Oct 25, 2018: St. Petersburg, Florida MediaWise event at The Poynter Institute teaching 50 students and parents

Support MediaWise

Beyond donating to MediaWise, there are many ways you can help promote the project:

  • The MediaWise team presented at the 2018 Teen Vogue Summit and will be featured at SXSW EDU. Invite MediaWise to present at your event.
  • Write about MediaWise! We were recently featured in USA Today.

Email us at mwtips@poynter.org to learn more.

The MediaWise project is part of the Google News Initiative and funded by Google.org. The Poynter-led project includes contributions from partners SHEG, Local Media Association (LMA) and the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE).