Pilot At 4 Montclair Schools Teaches About Media ‘Misinformation’

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The line between information and “misinformation” in the news media is getting harder than ever to walk. And teens need the tools to tell what’s real journalism and what’s fake, a Montclair nonprofit says.

Recently, the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence (MFEE) partnered with the Montclair Public School District to launch a pilot program aimed at introducing middle and high school students to the concepts of “misinformation and disinformation.”

Here’s how it works, according to the MFEE:

“The News and Social Media Pilot Program will teach students to identify reliable sources and the hallmarks of quality journalism. They will learn online tools and techniques to fact check, such as lateral reading technique and the SIFT method. Students will learn how disinformation campaigns affect countries around the world, as well as how their digital footprints affect them online.”

The MFEE and the district plan to launch four trials at local schools. About 85 seventh-grade students at Buzz Aldrin Middle School experienced the first two-week trial in November and December. Roughly 85 eighth-grade students at Buzz Aldrin Middle School will take part in the second trial group in February. The last two trials will be organized at Montclair High School.

The curriculum for the program was developed and is being taught by Theresa Walsh Giarrusso, a journalist with 26 years of experience writing, editing and working with students across the country. Giarrusso teaches professional development workshops for school districts around New Jersey, including the Montclair School District. She also works with senior citizens through the Montclair Public Library.

The MFEE cited several statistics that support the need for the program:

• 95% of teenagers have smartphones, and 45% report being online almost constantly. (2018 Pew Research.)
• 44 of children feel they can tell fake news stories from real ones. However, 31 percent of kids who shared a story online in the last six months say they found out later it was wrong or inaccurate. (2017 Commonsense Media Poll.)
• 52% of U.S. adults say they have shared fake news -- a majority say they didn't realize it was fake at the time. (Pew Research 2019)

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