Authoritative Sources

Measuring news media literacy

News & Media Literacy

Maksl, A., Ashley, S., & Craft, S. Measuring news media literacy. The National Association for Media Literacy Education Journal of Media Literacy Education, (6), 3. Retrieved from https://libproxy.albany.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=103191746&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Description: This scholarly article details a study that measured levels of news media literacy among 500 teenagers. The researchers applied Potter’s 2004 model of media literacy to the concept of news literacy and found that having greater knowledge about topics in the news, conditions under which news is produced, and the effects news can have on society results in higher levels of news media literacy.

Why I trust it: Published by the open-access Journal of Media Literacy Education, the article is peer-reviewed through the University of Rhode Island.

Use: Use this resource to learn about strategies for media literacy assessment. It has a long list of references for further reading.

Access: Users can access this through the Education Source database through the University at Albany Libraries. If you are a current student, faculty, or staff member, you can proxy into the server using your UAlbany ID. Otherwise, you can visit one of the library buildings and use a guest computer pass to access the database.

The challenge that’s bigger than fake news

Fake News, News & Media Literacy

McGrew, S., Ortega, T., Breakstone, J., & Wineburg, S. (2017). The challenge that’s bigger than fake news: Civic reasoning in a social media environment. American Educator, (3), 4. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.510636805&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Description: This scholarly article critiques common strategies used to teach news literacy, arguing that many lesson plans only teach young people to analyze the surface of a website and that “determining who’s behind information and whether it’s worthy of our trust is more complex than a true/false dichotomy” (4).

Why I trust it: Sarah McGrew, one of the article’s authors, co-directs the Civic Online Reasoning Project at the Stanford History Education Group with Joel Breakstone. Breakstone’s research focuses on instructional assessment. Sam Wineburg is the founder of the project and is the Margaret Jacks Professor of Education at Stanford. Teresa Ortega is the project manager.

Use: Use this resource to critique and strengthen your news and web literacy lesson plans.

Access: You can access this through the Gale database through the University at Albany Libraries. If you are a current student, faculty, or staff member, you can proxy into the server using your UAlbany ID. Otherwise, you can visit one of the library buildings and use a guest computer pass to access the database.

Encyclopedia of associations

Associations & Organizations

Gale Research Inc. (2019). Encyclopedia of associations: National organizations of the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1056157307.

Description: This resource lists officially recognized national organizations.

Why I trust it: For 65 years, Gale has provided libraries and other educational institutions with databases on a variety of subjects. The publishing company uses a world-wide network of scholars to curate and review its content.

Use: Use this resource to verify the world-wide recognition of an organization with which you plan to become involved.

Access: This resource is available through several university library systems. If it’s not available at your library, try requesting it through an inter-library loan.

Encyclopedia of associations

Associations & Organizations

Gale Research Inc. (2019). Encyclopedia of associations: International organizations. Retrieved from http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1027049926.

Description: This resource lists officially recognized national and international organizations.

Why I trust it: For 65 years, Gale has provided libraries and other educational institutions with databases on a variety of subjects. The publishing company uses a world-wide network of scholars to curate and review its content.

Use: Use this resource to verify the world-wide recognition of an organization with which you plan to become involved.

Access: This resource is available through several university library systems. If it’s not available at your library, try requesting it through an inter-library loan service.

A dictionary of political biography

Politics on the Internet

Oxford Reference. (2019). A dictionary of political biography. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordreference.com.libproxy.albany.edu/view/10.1093/acref/9780191751080.001.0001/acref-9780191751080.

Description: This online dictionary offers short biographical entries of 870+ noteworthy political figures from the twentieth century, compiled by trustworthy experts.

Why I trust it: Oxford Reference has existed as a produce of scholarly publications since the 15th Century. Currently, the Oxford Press is governed by a large group of academics, and its publications are trusted by libraries worldwide.

Use: There are a lot of names in the news, and some of those people aren’t even alive anymore. Use this dictionary to look up unknown names of major people who have shaped the world. You’ll find trustworthy snapshot biographies. You don’t need to read an entire biographical book to understand how that person plays into the story.

Access: This resource is available through the University at Albany Libraries. If you are a current student, faculty, or staff member, you can proxy into the server using your UAlbany ID. Otherwise, you can visit one of the library buildings and use a guest computer pass to access the database.

Keys to interpreting media messages

News & Media Literacy, News & the Internet

Silverblatt, A., Smith, A., Don Miller, C., Smith, J., & Brown, N. (2014). Keys to interpreting media messages [worksheet]. Media literacy: Keys to interpreting media messages (4th ed., pp 203-9). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger. Retrieved from http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/899291525.

Description: This worksheet includes a series of questions to help readers determine the process, context, and framework of a media product.

Why I trust it: This worksheet is included in a book meant to aid people in decoding diverse types of media. It is published by Praeger, a company affiliated with ABC-CLIO and trusted by libraries worldwide.

Use: This worksheet can be used to help you evaluate the quality of a piece of information you find on the internet.

Access: Users can access this book through many university libraries including SUNY New Paltz and SUNY Orange. It can be requested through the UAlbany interlibrary loan system.

The Chicago guide to fact-checking

Fact-Checking

Borel, B. (2016). The Chicago guide to fact-checking. Retrieved from http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1043503275.

Description: This Chicago guide offers tools and best practices for fact checking across multiple forms of media.

Why I trust it: This guide was published by the same company that publishes the Chicago Manual of Style, and it draws on the expertise of over 200 professional writers, editors, and fact-checkers. The book’s editor, Brooke Borel, is a former research editor at Science Illustrated and a former fact checker at Quanta. She also teaches science communication workshops at New York University.

Use: Use this manual to beef up your web fact-checking skills. You’ll find numerous strategies to fact-check across multiple forms of media. You’ll also find, at the end of the book, 20 full pages of references organized by chapter.

Access: This title is accessible in-library through the University at Albany Libraries reference collection under call number ZA3075 .B67 2016. You can also request this title through the New York Public Libr

The First Amendment encyclopedia

News & the Internet

Middle Tennessee State University. (2019). The First Amendment encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment.

Description: This online encyclopedia is a collection of articles about free expression in America, curated by faculty of the Middle Tennessee State University.

Why I trust it: This resource is presented by the Free Speech Center and the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies. It was edited by two scholars, one of whom, Dr. John R. Vile, is a professor of political science and dean of the University Honors College at MTSU. The other scholar, David L. Hudson, Jr., is a former member of the Nashville First Amendment Center, and he now teaches at the Nashville School of Law and Vanderbilt Law School.

Use: First amendment issues are all over the Internet, and understanding them will help you think critically about the information you consume. Use this encyclopedia to understand more about freedom of speech and expression. A unique aspect about this encyclopedia is that it provides you with direct contact information for its collaborators. If you have questions, reach out to these experts for an interview.

Access: Users can access this online encyclopedia using a preferred internet browser from any computer in the United States, and beyond.

Opposing viewpoints in context

Current Issues, Fact-Checking, Politics on the Internet

Gale. (2019). Opposing viewpoints in context [database]. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.libproxy.albany.edu/ps/start.do?p=OVIC&u=albanyu.

Description: This database is a collection of research-based entries covering current issues. It approaches the information in a pro/con format and includes articles, maps, infographics, and more.

Why I trust it: For 65 years, Gale has provided libraries and other educational institutions with databases on a variety of subjects. The publishing company uses a world-wide network of scholars to curate and review its content.

Use: When you hear or read about a controversial current issue or event, you can use this database to understand major points on both sides of the topic.

Access: You can access this database through the University at Albany Libraries. If you are a current student, faculty, or staff member, you can proxy into the server using your UAlbany ID. Otherwise, you can visit one of the library buildings and use a guest computer pass to access the database.

Issues

Current Issues

ABC-CLIO. (2019). Issues: Understanding controversy and society [database]. Retrieved from https://publisher-abc-clio-com.libproxy.albany.edu.

Description: This database is a collection of authoritative, scholarly eBooks on a broad range of topics.

Why I trust it: ABC-CLIO (a collaboration between the American Bibliographic Center and CLIO Press) has been developing leading, authoritative reference resources for more than 60 years. It also offers professional development through its Libraries Unlimited program, aimed at supporting educators and librarians in lifelong learning.

Use: It is full of trustworthy information to help you learn more about a topic you read about in the news.

Access: You can access this database through the University at Albany Libraries. If you are a current student, faculty, or staff member, you can proxy into the server using your UAlbany ID. Otherwise, you can visit one of the library buildings and use a guest computer pass to access the database.