Gov. Phil Murphy signs media literacy law to teach New Jersey students about fake news
Jeremiah Poff
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Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed a new law Wednesday that will make the Garden State the first to require “media literacy” education in schools.
The new law, which passed with bipartisan support in the state legislature, directs the state’s department of education to produce “learning standards” that will teach students “to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information.”
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“Our democracy remains under sustained attack through the proliferation of disinformation that is eroding the role of truth in our political and civic discourse,” the governor said in a statement. “It is our responsibility to ensure our nation’s future leaders are equipped with the tools necessary to identify fact from fiction. I am proud to sign legislation that is critical to the success of New Jersey’s students and essential to the preservation of our democracy.”
The governor billed the legislation as his latest effort to “[address] the threat of disinformation.” The new standards, once established, will apply to K-12 students and will cover topics such as primary and secondary sources, research processes, and “the difference between facts, points of view, and opinions.”
“Teaching children about information literacy will help them to weigh the flood of news, opinion, and social media they are exposed to both online and off,” state Sen. Michael Testa (R) said in a statement. “This law isn’t about teaching kids that any specific idea is true or false; rather, it’s about helping them learn how to research, evaluate, and understand the information they are presented for themselves.”
Meanwhile, Testa’s Democratic co-sponsor, state Sen. Shirley Turner, said the legislation was important because it would teach students to recognize false information.
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“This signing feels especially timely as we approach the two-year anniversary of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. It is incredibly important that our children are taught how to discern reliable sources and recognize false information,” Turner said. “This legislation will equip the next generation with the tools they need to spot deceptive sites and become savvy consumers of media.”