Renee Ousley-Swank

A graphic shows a screen that a student is learning on. Text: SPRING SPRINTS Fast-Track News Literacy 30-Minute Webinar: Preview Checkology FREE REGISTER NOW MAY 7 & 8

📢 Educators: You have 2 more chances this school year for a quick 30-minute tutorial on our award-winning Checkology e-learning platform! Sign up for FREE ⤵️

✨ May 7, 3:30pm ET: go.newslit.org/May7Checkology
✨ May 8, 6:30pm ET: go.newslit.org/May8Checkology

#EdTech
#EduSky

A graphic showing a small photo of tech journalist Mia Sato next to images meant to depict AI and algorithms. Header text: Cracking the Code: How AI Shapes What We See (And What We Miss) REGISTER NOW! APRIL 9 FREE WEBINAR SPRING SPRINTS

📢 Educators: Join us & @theverge.com journalist @miasato.bsky.social on April 9 to learn about: 1) Algorithms; 2) Generative AI; 3) And how to help students learn the criticial skills to responsibly scroll their social media feeds in 2025!

🔗 Register for FREE: bit.ly/April9NLP

#EdTech
#EduSky

The only thing being liberated today is money from the bank accounts of hard-working Americans.

Cost of GOP tax giveaways to corporations and the rich:

Extending the Trump tax cuts — $4.2 trillion/10 yrs
Restoring expired corporate tax breaks — more than $1 trillion
Additional Trump-proposed tax breaks — up to $5 trillion

“The party of fiscal responsibility” is full of it.

A Facebook post reads, “Import the third world get the third world. Birmingham. Filth. Rubbish. Immigration,” and features an image showing dozens of garbage bags on the street. The News Literacy Project has added a label that says “MISSING CONTEXT.”

❌ NO: The trash pictured in Birmingham, England, is not due to immigrants. It's the result of “an indefinite all-out strike” by garbage collectors.

🚩 This is an example of a common type of #misinformation - false context.

🔗 RumorGuard post: bit.ly/TrashBirming...

#MediaLiteracy

Graphic for The Graphic Library with cover from A Visit to Moscow

Rabbi Rafael Grossman travels to Soviet Russia in 1965 to investigate reports of Jewish persecution in this Historical Fiction graphic novel. Check out the full review from @monibarre.bsky.social and resources from Creators Assemble!
#GraphicLibrary

www.graphiclibrary.org/reviews/a-vi...

Remember: Almost all of us are the descendants of immigrants who fled persecution, or were brought to America under duress, or sought better lives for themselves and their descendants.

Politicians who stoke fear and hatred over immigration want you to forget this.

Do not.

Intellectual Freedom News 3/21/2025 ALA actively advocates and educates in defense of intellectual freedom—the rights of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment. Intellectual freedo...

Here’s the @oif.bsky.social News for the week of March 21

www.oif.ala.org/intellectual...

A social media post reads, “There’s a reason he deleted that” and includes an image that appears to show a 2012 post from President Donald Trump that reads, “If the Dow drops 1,000 points in two days the President should be impeached immediately!” The News Literacy Project has added a label that says “IMPOSTOR CONTENT.”

❌ NO: President Trump never said presidents should be impeached if stocks fall.

✔️ A viral image claiming to show a 2012 Trump post is impostor content.

🔗 Read more on #RumorGuard: bit.ly/DowImpostorPost
#StockMarket #Misinformation

What’s to stop the Trump regime from arresting American citizens who support any cause the regime doesn’t like?

Where, may I ask, are the “First Amendment absolutists” these days?

Where are all the Republicans who for years have accused liberals of “cancelling” their views?

Trump administration layoffs hit NOAA, agency that forecasts weather, hurricanes The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration houses key groups like the National Weather Service. Experts warn the consequences of employee cuts could be drastic.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration houses key groups like the National Weather Service. Experts warn the consequences of employee cuts could be drastic.

On Thursday word came: No more USAID funds for a clinic that gets HIV meds to kids Supported by USAID, the Ethiopian clinic provides lifesaving medicine for HIV-positive kids and teens to suppress the virus. First came the 90-day freeze — and now an immediate termination of support.

Supported by USAID, the Ethiopian clinic provides lifesaving medicine for HIV-positive kids and teens to suppress the virus. First came the 90-day freeze — and now an immediate termination of support.

U.S. Terminates Funding for Polio, H.I.V., Malaria and Nutrition Programs Around the World Here are some of the 5,800 contracts the Trump administration formally canceled this week in a wave of terse emails.

“People will die, but we will never know, because even the programs to count the dead are cut.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/27/h...

Trump's CFPB just dropped its lawsuits against:

-Capital One, for cheating depositors out of $2B+ in interest
-Rocket Homes, for providing kickbacks to agents and brokers
-Vanderbilt Mortgage, for trapping customers in risky loans 

It's open season for corporate crooks.

Hearing from Community Partners International, which works from Myanmar to Bangladesh, that USAID cuts mean 14,000 people with HIV losing access to lifesaving meds and a total stop in all HIV and TB screening. So many people will die due to these chaotic, sudden, horrifically implemented cuts.

Experts: Digital Media Makes News Literacy a Necessity News literacy lessons, which teach students to use critical thinking in conjunction with the Internet to separate fact from fiction, are essential to prepare students to navigate the digital informati...

"Like all of us, teens are struggling to separate fact from fiction in today’s complicated media environment. It is our responsibility to make sure they can think independently & critically about all the news & information they encounter.” - @crsalter.bsky.social

www.govtech.com/education/k-...

As #BlackHistoryMonth ends, check out our lesson that shines a light on 👇🏾

- Why Black communities have historically been distrustful of mainstream news outlets.
- The impact of Black newspapers & journalists.
- How some news orgs have reckoned with their past.

🔗 bit.ly/HarmDistrust

Tips to spot misinformation about immigration raids and other social media rumors As immigration policies change in this country, misinformation is spreading across social media, including rumors of immigration arrests at a Grand Rapids high school.

📲 As false claims of immigration raids spread online and spark fear, NLP's @peteradams.bsky.social speaks to @michiganpublic.bsky.social about the importance of distinguishing fact from rumor, and how to fact-check posts, videos and images yourself. #NewsLiteracy

Trump's latest executive order puts independent agencies — including the FTC, SEC, and NLRB — under his direct control.

It's a blatant attempt to shield his corporate donors and his own business from agencies that hold the powerful accountable.

This is an alarming power-grab.

Bogus Ads Use Elon Musk's Image for Scams Criminals impersonate the tech billionaire to pitch fake investments and steal victims' savings

“As AI continues to improve, it's going to get more difficult for people to decipher what is true and what is false," says NLP’s Alexa Volland.

🔎With #AI impersonations and investment scams on the rise, verifying information is more crucial than ever.

👇🏻

No, Elizabeth Warren didn’t say government spending should be secret A viral social media post appears to contain a Jan. 30 quote from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., claiming that Americans don’t have the right to know how the government spends their tax dollars,...

❌NO: Elizabeth Warren didn’t say government spending should be secret.

Disinformation is frequently created to support political talking points. Recently, several false claims about government spending have spread on social media.

🔗Read more: bit.ly/WarrenGovtSp...

DOGE recommended firing workers at:

-FDA, which oversees Neuralink

-FAA, which oversees SpaceX

-USAID, which probed Starlink

-CFPB, which oversees Tesla's financing arm and a potential payment platform on X.

"Conflict of interest" is a severe understatement.

"Oh, this book! I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. Jake held me close and didn’t let go. He broke my heart and stitched it back together again. This is a life-changing book for anyone who has ever wanted to disappear." —Two-time Newbery Medalist @erinentrada.bsky.social

Over the past 17 days, Donald Trump has unleashed a firehose of executive actions designed to overwhelm us, many of which are illegal or unconstitutional. Todd Beeton broke down the most egregious and looked at how Democrats and the courts are taking a stand against them for the Big Picture.

A social media post reads “Latinos for Trump” and features an image that appears to show a man in a “Latinos for Trump 2024” shirt being taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The News Literacy Project has added a label that says “MANIPULATED IMAGE.”

❌ NO: This is not a genuine photo of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arresting a man in a “Latinos for Trump 2024” shirt.

✔️ The original photo from 2018 has been digitally altered & shared to appeal to people's preexisting beliefs.

🔗 RumorGuard post: bit.ly/AlteredPhoto

Antidepressants harder to quit than heroin? Fact-checking RFK Jr. Fact checking RFK Jr.: No, antidepressants are not harder to quit than heroin.

Fact checking RFK Jr.: No, antidepressants are not harder to quit than heroin.

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.

🚨 As with any big, developing story, practice patience & seek out credible sources as details are reported about the horrific plane & helicopter crash in Washington, D.C.

Our breaking news checklist ⤵️

Download the infographic: bit.ly/BreakingNews...

#NewsLiteracy

I just arrived in San Jose for the California School Library Association's Annual Conference! See you tomorrow, @4csla.bsky.social!!!

Halting spending approved by Congress.

Firing independent inspectors general from federal agencies.

Replacing civil servants with loyalists.

All plans pulled from Project 2025.

Remember when Trump denied knowing about the playbook and the media gave him a pass?