Put simply, from the Center for Media Literacy, "Media Literacy is the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create media in a variety of forms." However, as the site mentions, definitions evolve over time and more robust definition needed to be created to take into the context of its importance to teaching students in the 21st-century media culture. Therefore CML created this new definition:
"Media Literacy is a 21st century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages in a variety of forms- from print to video to the Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy."
Source: https://www.medialit.org/media-literacy-definition-and-more
1. Vet the author/publisher’s credibility
Look at the end of the domain name. Domain names are the ending parts of a web address - the domain name in https://www.rrcc.edu/ is rrcc.edu. ".com", “.gov”, “.edu” are the best end domains to get information from. Be wary of unusual top-level domain names, like “.com.co.” This could be a site that is much different and an illegitimate site designed to appear similar to the original.
What’s the publication’s point of view? Who is the author? Read the “About Us” section for more insight into the publisher, leadership, and mission statement. Have they published anything else? Be suspicious if the author is a celebrity writing for a little-known site or if the author’s contact information is a G-mail/hotmail/etc address and not a publisher’s contact or a .edu email.
2. Notice the quality of the publication and how long ago it was published
Are there any spelling errors, lots of ALL CAPS, or dramatic punctuation?!?!?! If so, this can be from a quickly made website made from non-reputable sources or user-generated content. Reputable sources have high proofreading and grammatical standards. Also, be aware if the content seems biased or if it is filled with emotional statements and not facts.
Is the information current or recycled? Make sure an older story or picture isn’t being taken out of context. Information changes so rapidly, something that was published a year ago or even a week ago may currently be incorrect information.
3. Check the sources and citations
How did you find the article? If the content showed up in your social media feed or was promoted on a website, proceed with caution. Even if the information was shared by a friend, be sure to follow the steps above and below to ensure the publisher’s credibility.
Who is (or is not) quoted, and what do they say? If you notice a glaring lack of quotes and contributing sources, particularly on a complex issue, then something is amiss. Credible journalism is fed by fact-gathering, so a lack of research likely means a lack of fact-based information.
Is the information available on other sites? If not, then it’s very likely that the journalistic jury is still out on whether this information is valid. Library databases are a great resource for confirming the credibility of information—check out Harvard Library's list of public resources.
4. Ask professionals
Have you visited asked a librarian or used a fact-checking website? There are many good ones, like Snopes.com, FactCheck.org, PolitiFact.com, and more. You can also ask a Librarian! Librarians are information professionals and are trained to be able to decipher fake news. Lastly, use these tips and tricks to do your own detective work and feel more confident in being able to identify fact vs. fiction vs. misinformation.
