News Literacy and Australian Teachers: How News Media is Taught in the Classroom

The internet has changed the way young Australians participate in society. Digital platforms now rival traditional media, such as television, for young people's attention when it comes to accessing information and entertainment. News is now produced and circulated more rapidly, using an ever-growing number of social media platforms, while social media users encounter news from a range of sources, often while news events are still unfolding. The pace of news production and circulation makes verifying sources and claims more complicated and this has led to a number of flashpoints for claims and counter-claims of fake news at critical moments during elections, natural disasters, acts of terrorism and most recently, during the Coronavirus Pandemic. At this critical juncture, it is essential that we understand efforts being made in schools to educate young Australians about the news media. Our investigations have illustrated that very little information has been collected on how news media is integrated into Australian schools, and very little is known about the extent to which teachers feel able and supported to teach students about the news. We undertook this research to investigate if teachers believe it is important to teach students about the news. We also wanted to understand how teachers utilise available curriculum documents to teach students about news media and how they access relevant support and resources to help them to do this. This research is timely given that the 2019 Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Digital Platforms Inquiry emphasises the importance of digital media literacy education in schools. This formal inquiry recommends that the terms of reference for the scheduled 2020 review of the Australian Curriculum considers how digital media literacy education is approached1. Given that almost every aspect of our lives is mediated, a coherent educational strategy for digital media literacy in Australia is required and not a quick-fix or one-off solution. News literacy is an important component of digital media literacy that we believe should address areas such as bias in the news, disinformation and misinformation, the inclusion and representation of different groups (including young people), news media ownership, technology affordances and more. This effort should be part of a wider project that aims to make media literacy a prerequisite for all citizens to ensure every Australian is capable of making decisions about media participation and engagement that are effective, right, safe and appropriate for them. This research therefore represents an attempt to better understand teachers' current news media literacy practices as one aspect of their broader digital media literacy education programs. Our goal is to inform teachers, school leaders, educational systems and policy makers about the current state of play, from the perspective of teachers, to assist these stakeholders to make recommendations and decisions that will support the ongoing development of news media literacy education.