1/ 🌎 The first #EarthDay in 1970 was incredibly effective at raising awareness & creating lasting change. In 2026, we're facing a daunting new kind of pollution - #misinformation. News & media literacy are crucial to navigating & cleaning up our online landscape ⤵️
1/ Are inaccurate statements protected by the #FirstAmendment? How does the term "actual malice" relate to press freedom? Today, we dive into the landmark 1964 Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan & the precedent it set for news outlets facing accusations of libel & defamation.
There are thousands of cool photos & videos of #ArtemisII, but that doesn't mean the historic mission is immune from conspiratorial thinking.
Some have claimed it was AI, part of a growing trend of dismissing real footage as fake.
Educators, has this been an issue in your classroom? Let us know.
Michigan was the best team in college basketball and Dylan (@umhoops.com) provides the best coverage of a college basketball team that you can find.
Hope everyone has an awesome night celebrating!
One Shining Moment
Michigan leads by 4 at the break despite not making a jump shot.
Wolverines have scored all their points at the basket or at the line.
What's a day, or two, like in the life of a @chicagotribune.com political reporter? From covering city council meetings to prepping stories & making changes based on breaking developments, @jake-sheridan.bsky.social takes us behind the scenes of his fast-paced job reporting on #Chicago politics ⤵️
HOLY SHIT UCONN
Love working for this team of such talented, thoughtful & caring people!
can’t stop thinking about this game & ending
Context matters just as much as facts. Instead of just checking whether a claim is true, we should consider where it came from, how it’s framed, and what information might be missing. That kind of deeper thinking helps navigate a messy info environment with more clarity.
Imagine being laid off in addition to most of your sports department right before the Olympics & then still writing brilliantly for two weeks. @barrysvrlugawp.bsky.social is such a pro: wapo.st/3OUpReK
1/ NLP's Dan Evon presented our Two Truths and AI video series at the @knightfoundation.org's annual forum, offering 3 examples. The audience was wrong each time!
🤔 Can you guess the fake? These are not easy!
🎞 Watch & play along: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkmX...
#2TruthsAndAI
Colorful banner for Project for Awesome featuring a smiling educator in a classroom setting. Text encourages voting for the News Literacy Project at projectforawesome.com
📢 Be awesome & vote for NLP!
🎉 We are in the running to win $$$ from @projectforawesome.com & need your vote starting today! The initiative by the Foundation to Decrease World Suck raises money for nonprofits annually!
🙏🏽 Watch our video & vote for us between NOW-Feb. 18: go.newslit.org/AwesomeNLP
🙂 It's been a busy news week + now the Olympics + the Super Bowl. So, yeah ...
If you didn't get to National #NewsLiteracyWeek, we get it! The good news is our resources aren't going away. Here are a few links:
🏡 newsliteracyweek.org
🌳 go.newslit.org/InfoEcosystem
📚 go.newslit.org/NNLWlibrarians
Here's who the Washington Post just laid off.
Text-heavy nfographic titled "The Information Ecosystem Depends on News." It features a "News-Driven Ecosystem" diagram with sections like the public, journalism, and raw information, emphasizing interconnected roles. Illustrations of trees and people symbolize growth and influence. The tone is educational, highlighting the significance of journalism as an anchoring tree for an informed society.
1/ 🌳 Use the analogy of an ecosystem to help students understand today’s info landscape with our NEW infographic.
👀 Analyze the poster to learn how:
- the news-driven ecosystem forms an info web
- content about news largely couldn’t exist without standards-based journalism
#NewsLiteracyWeek
So many incredible journalists got laid off today. Heroes, mentors, friends. Just an absolutely devastating day. Starting a thread here with some of their incredible work, and how to follow and support them.
Text-heavy infographic about confirmation bias and motivated reasoning, with boxes explaining different aspects of the cognitive biases. Boxes include: Confirmation bias is; motivated reasoning is; information habits, political polarization & conspiracy theories; Interesting studies; & “our best defenses.”
⚠️ In today's AI age, confirmation bias & motivated reasoning are dangerous cognitive biases. For instance:
👍🏽 See a video that you agree with? That must be legit.
🤔 See a video that you disagree with? That has to be AI!
🔗 Download the infographic: go.newslit.org/ConfBiasPoster
#NewsLiteracy
📢 We're #hiring! NLP is looking for a Data and Impact Intern to join our team this spring.
📊 This position is ideal for students pursuing a degree in information or data science or professionals beginning their career in a related field.
🔗 Learn more: go.newslit.org/DataIntern
#Internship
📢 NLP is #hiring an IT Consultant!
ℹ️ We're looking for someone with a strong K-12 #EdTech background to assess our practices & provide a 3-year roadmap for IT needs at NLP.
🔗 Learn more / share / apply: go.newslit.org/ITJobNLP
Text-heavy and colorful infographic titled BREAKING NEWS CHECKLIST with 6 tips on "What to do when information is scarce, falsehoods are rampant and the story is still unfolding" 1 Mind the gap: Keep in mind that there’s often a gap between what the public wants to know and the verified information available. Unconfirmed or completely bogus content often rushes in to fill that gap. 2 Beware bad actors: Remember that bad actors often capitalize on breaking news situations to spread falsehoods for easy likes and shares. 3 Do a quick search: This is often your best defense against misinformation. 4 Look for evidence: Claims that make bold assertions but provide no links or other evidence should always be approached with caution. 5 Seek credible sources: Be intentional about looking for credible news and not relying on social media algorithms to bring you updates. 6 Practice patience: Quality journalism and verification take time. Be ready to follow news developments over time.
🚨 In just one week, 2026 has already been full of major breaking news. As a reminder, reporting on & verifying the facts on a developing story take time & bad actors fill news voids with fakes & propaganda.
Here are some basic tips ⤵️
🔗 bit.ly/BreakingNews...
Finland teaches how to recognize and dismiss propaganda and disinformation, including AI slop, as a civic skill in its schools, even with the very youngest students. We need this taught in every classroom across the world!
apnews.com/article/fake...
#Finland #propaganda #AISlop #misinformation
this game is really all i wanted for the holidays
⚠️ Our 2025 year in misinformation is AI-focused. As artificial intelligence tools became a routine part of many people’s lives this year, they also further polluted our info landscape by:
🚩 Distorting current events
🚩 Supplying wrong answers as chatbots
🚩 Impersonating audio
Read more ⤵️
🚨 We're hiring! Join NLP in 2026 and help us more seamlessly integrate #NewsLiteracy into school districts nationwide.
#JobSeekers
#EdTech
📢 #Educators: Are you subscribed to The Sift? If not, sign up by Jan. 12 to make the newsletter a part of your new year!
As a teaser, the last issue of 2025 has it all:
- Top stories + discussion Q's
- Daily Do Now slides to teach with
- A RumorGuard rundown of viral falsehoods
➕ much more!
Man, Rockets-Nuggets was phenomenal. Would gladly take this in the 2nd round of the playoffs 🍿
