ABSTRACT
News literacy refers to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to navigate today’s complex news media environment. News literacy includes the analysis of content as well as learning about the systems and institutions that influence news production and consumption. Part of the larger umbrella field of media literacy, news literacy stresses the role of news and citizens in democratic society and helps to empower students and citizens to practice civic engagement. Because of the many ways we consume, create, and share news today, news-literate citizens need to know about a wide range of critical contexts to be fully engaged in democratic life. The critical contexts approach applies a sociological perspective to examine the structures and institutions that shape the news landscape. This approach to news literacy is essential if societies are to meaningfully address the critical issues at stake in the world today, from global warming and nuclear war to human rights and public health.
