Existe en la actualidad un importante debate social sobre la proliferación de noticias falseadas (fake news) en los medios de comunicación y en las redes sociales, especialmente, por el deterioro queestas suponen para los sistemas democráticos, en general, y para el periodismo, en particular. Por esta razón, los estudios sobre periodismo y comunicación afrontan con urgencia el reto de re-conceptualizar un fenómeno que ha existido siempre, pero que cobra nueva vida en el actual entorno mediático. En este contexto, emerge la teoría y práctica de lo que ha venido a llamarse alfabetización periodística (news literacy). Realizamos aquí un breve examen del estado de la cuestión, desde un punto de vista conceptual. Repasamos las teorías, recientes y clásicas, referidas a las noticias falseadas, a partir de una revisión de la principal bibliografía sobre el tema. Como conclusión, proponemos una base conceptual que puede establecer un puente entre las citadas teorías y la práctica de la alfabetización periodística en el marco más amplio de las políticas de alfabetización mediática.

Exposure to harmful content, fake news, and hate speech, calls to question whether citizens are 'responsible' when it comes to their online news behavior. This exploratory study aims to positioning news literacy as a mediating factor toward fostering civic responsibility by investigating its role in enhancing youth's online news experience and preparing them against harmful content. News literacy is defined as a multi-structural construct with three main constituents: motivation, knowledge, and skills. The study's main goal is accomplished through delving into youth's online news experience, and assessing their level of news literacy through a mixed methods approach relying on focus group discussions as a qualitative method and survey as a quantitative method. The study is applied to a sample of youth from Egypt and a sample of youth from Spain, on whom comparative analysis is conducted. Findings reveal a positive correlation between news literacy and: the ability to identify fake news, the ability to identify hate speech, engagement with news, caring about the veracity of content before sharing, and motivation to seek news. Negative perceptions about professional news media's performance have been expressed by respondents from both countries, with the main justification being that news media are not fulfilling their role as should be. La exposición a contenidos nocivos, noticias falsas y discursos de odio hace que nos preguntemos si los ciudadanos son «responsables» cuando hablamos de su comportamiento online. Este estudio exploratorio pretende posicionar la alfabetización periodística como un factor mediador hacia el fomento de la responsabilidad cívica, investigando su papel en la mejora de la experiencia de los jóvenes con las noticias online, preparándolos contra los contenidos nocivos. La alfabetización periodística se define como un concepto multiestructural con tres componentes principales: motivación, conocimientos y habilidades. Un objetivo del estudio es profundizar en la experiencia de los jóvenes con las noticias online, evaluando su nivel de alfabetización periodística mediante un enfoque de métodos mixtos que se basan en discusiones de grupos focales y en una encuesta. El estudio se aplica a una muestra de jóvenes de Egipto y a otra de jóvenes de España, a partir de las cuales se realiza un análisis comparativo. Los resultados revelan una correlación positiva entre la alfabetización periodística y: la capacidad de identificar las noticias falsas y el discurso de odio, el compromiso con las noticias, la preocupación por la veracidad del contenido antes de compartirlo y la motivación para buscar noticias. Los encuestados de ambos países han expresado percepciones negativas sobre la eficacia de los medios de comunicación profesionales, con la justificación principal de que los medios de comunicación no están cumpliendo su función como deberían.

BACKGROUND: Media news emerged reporting that double masking can increase protection against COVID-19. This led to differential published reports, fueling debate among the public and creating controversy and confusion. In this paper, we present a lesson plan for health communication students to enhance their critical thinking ability and equip them with the necessary tools to analyze various media texts and products. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The lesson plan included a set of activities on three different news pieces related to double masking, each published through a different media outlet: A newspaper, a television channel, and an online magazine/podcast. The lesson was designed for 120 min, over 2 days. It required a digital device and Internet access. Students were tasked to compare between the news based on set criteria and asked to provide their opinions accordingly. They were also assigned to fill out an inverted pyramid for further analysis and interpretation. RESULTS: Students were assessed through a rubric that evaluated gained competencies after lesson completion. The rubric is composed of five elements to assess the students’ performances. Elements included filling assigned cells and diagrams, usage of proper English, validation of news sources and reported facts, critical analysis of findings, and finishing the lesson on time. CONCLUSION: This lesson plan enhanced the ability of students to understand and analyze various media texts and validate the content and perspectives published through the different platforms.

Media and Information Literacy is regarded as a great challenge for Public Service Media now more than ever; not just as a right that they must respect but as a new policy they need to foster. The main reason is that we are living in turbulent times. Disinformation, fake news, and poor journalism (against quality journalism) are symptoms that the current communication ecosystem is negatively influencing the quality of democratic societies. Therefore, this problem cannot be merely addressed through local policies; a global human approach is needed. This chapter aims at reflecting on how a comprehensive approach that includes the right of Media and Information Literacy as a crucial part of public policies (and public service media) is now an urgent matter. The article emphasizes that the application of this right contributes to improving the communication system and consequently democracy in societies. Promoting quality in Public Service Media is one of the main actions that demonstrate keenness on citizens’ right to become well informed. However, how can public policies and Public Service Media contribute to making citizens’ right to Media and Information Literacy a reality? This is the main question addressed in this chapter.