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Reading about people, events, and happenings in the news is a great way for children to learn about the world around them. However, with AI-generated videos and images and realistic-looking misinformation becoming more and more common, the ability to assess the news for accuracy is an essential life skill—for children and adults alike.
Knowing how to evaluate content is known as practicing news literacy—the ability to “think critically about the news so you can understand what information is fact and what is not,” according to Erin Olson of the News Literacy Project. Here are some steps you and your child can follow together to decipher information so you can form your own conclusions about the news you’re consuming.
Tip 1: Identify what you’re reading
The writer of a news article should present both sides of a story, using sources or quotes from people who can back up the statements about what happened. A news story differs from an opinion article, which is when the writer gives their point of view on a topic. Opinion stories can be interesting to read, but it’s important to help your child know when they’re reading one so they’re aware that the writer may be presenting one side of a story.
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Tip 2: Analyze an article’s purpose
The purpose of a news article is to give readers the facts of an occurrence. If both sides of an event are shared, you know the writer is not trying to convince you to believe something, change your opinion, or withhold information from you. Other articles—like opinion pieces—may try to get the reader to believe something, such as why to support a cause. Figuring out a story’s purpose is an important aspect of interpreting its meaning and deciding whether it’s presenting facts or opinions.
Tip 3: Compare articles
There are many different news outlets, and they may cover the same story in different ways. To determine whether a news story is presenting the facts accurately, do some “lateral reading”—reading about the same topic from different sources. Notice if the stories include the same facts. Does one story omit some of them? Does one story give the facts from only one side, leaving you with questions unanswered? It’s important to note that each news source may cover a subject in a slightly different way and still be accurate. Reading a few different articles should give you a fuller picture of what happened.
Tip 4: Do a quick search
Many news sources are reputable, but many more (such as influencers on social media) may not be. To verify the source, learn more about it. A media outlet that aims to present unbiased news will most likely have a mission statement in the “About” section of its website, which should include the organization’s purpose and guidelines about fairness and accuracy. An influencer may be informative, but children should understand they may be presenting their own point of view rather than the straight facts. Learn more about news literacy at newslit.org.
4 ways to practice news literacy with your child
Ask “What’s the story?”
Choose one news event and read coverage with your child from three different media outlets. Pay attention to which facts show up in all three, which show up in one or two, who gets quoted in each story, and which claims are supported by evidence. This helps your child see how the same story can be presented differently by different sources. This activity may also spark meaningful conversations about current events, which further helps children build their critical-thinking skills.
Balance it out.
Read one article on a topic that has two different perspectives. Notice whether both perspectives include quotes from experts, how many words are used to tell each side of the story, and whether one side is framed more sympathetically. List facts from each perspective and challenge your child to identify the perspective they most agree with and why.
Play “Real or Fake?”
Review clues to help you identify whether a news story or image is AI-generated. These can include vague or unverified sources, robotic writing styles, repeated phrases, and mismatched visuals or lighting. Use these clues to review AI-generated images and videos. Have your child try to spot the signs that something is fake. Remind them that AI is evolving and improving quickly and that it may become more difficult to spot fakes. Your main goal is to teach the habit of always pausing to check whether something is AI-generated before trusting it at face value or sharing it.
Try traditional print journalism.
Amid all the digital sources of current events, The Week Junior is a weekly news magazine created just for kids. With 160,000 readers ages 8–14 across the US, The Week Junior is staffed by a team of professional journalists who adhere to strict principles of objectivity in their reporting and write in clear, direct, nonpartisan language.
A few ways to use the magazine:
With your child, read the weekly “Big Debate,” which presents both sides of a controversial topic, and watch them build their critical-thinking skills.
Ask your child to choose one of the articles on a current event in the US and one from somewhere around the world. Have them tell you about what they’ve read and what they think about it.
On the “That’s Unbelievable” page, ask your child whether the story in the bottom right corner is real or fake. You may find that an offline reading experience, away from the distractions of ads and other links to click, gives children a chance to think more deeply about a topic. And that kind of comprehension is the basis for building news literacy skills.
Greenlight families can request a free sample issue of The Week Junior by visiting theweekjunior.com/greenlight.
This blog post was written by our partners at The Week Junior.
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