Information literacy is having the ability to:
The American Library Association highlights the importance of information literacy:
"Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand."
By improving your information literacy skills, you will be better equipped to identify fake news, as well as potential bias in regular news. This will help you be not only a smarter consumer of news, but hopefully a more informed citizen as well. These skills are applicable for reading news and when evaluating sources for your research.
How to handle the perils of confirmation bias:
Use Fact-Checking Sites
A project of the Tampa Bay Times, Politifact is an independent, nonpartisan fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak about American politics.
An evidence-based source for fact checking urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.
A solid understanding of information literacy will help you succeed in your program AND your career. Developing information literacy skills will help you become a better critical thinker, and thus, make you more employable. Critical Thinking and Decision Making skills are in high demand from employers.
In response to the following survey question, 2,260 C-level executives and senior public-sector leaders from 21 countries indicated critical thinking among the top 5 desirable traits: "Given the events of 2020 and planning for the future, which of the following workforce traits have become most critical to your organization?"
