Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Journalism and Information Literacy


Really interesting article:
Lief, Louise. “What the news media can learn from librarians.” Columbia Journalism Review, October 24, 2016 at http://www.cjr.org/innovations/librarians_journalism_lessons.php

"Why librarians? Their job is to navigate the world of information, help scholars and students get what they need, and distinguish good information from bad." 

Information literacy "principles help students to pay attention to the source of information, ask whether it can be verified, and consider the context. Success... is when a student inquires, 'Says who? Based on what authority? What evidence?' An outstanding practitioner goes further and refutes inaccurate information."

"It’s a dynamic process that occurs through conversation and discourse."

"Seen on their mobile devices, snippets of life—tragic, joyful, heroic, unjust—scroll by on a screen, accompanied by personalized ads. Opinion and sentiment outweigh facts. It’s difficult to place information in context or understand underlying causes.... "

"The librarians encourage users to focus on inquiry rather than opinion, to evaluate a range of sources, take into account diverse viewpoints and perspectives, and to develop the ability to pursue new avenues as they gain new understanding.

They also urge users to assess the value of information in its various forms. Is it being used as a commodity, a way to understand the world, a means to influence, a path to educate, or some combination of these? They regard users not only as knowledge consumers, but also as knowledge creators."