RIM: Lesson - Critical Thinking, Rhetoric and Propaganda

A series of icons, all labeled "ad" (example: a billboard with the word ad written on it).Critical Thinking, Rhetoric, and Propaganda

There are so many different hot-button issues other than global warming that dominate today’s news: cloning, health care, nuclear power, and prison reform just to name a few. These issues are nuanced and complex, which often leads to a variety of opinions and arguments. Where there is uncertainty, propaganda often fills the gaps. In the words of Mary Mycio, a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, in an article discussing controversies surrounding Chernobyl Links to an external site.: "Because of the lack of information, you can hear a lot of different things from ideologically interested parties."

The power of propaganda lies in reducing complex issues into false simplicity. Events and ideas that stretch our capacity to comprehend are ripe for this type of misinformation.

The News Literacy Project

With so much misinformation online, you might be glad to know that there are numerous organizations devoted to helping consumers of information become more knowledgeable in spotting propaganda. One such organization is the News Literacy Project Links to an external site., a nonpartisan organization that “helps students learn and share the abilities needed to be smart, active consumers of news and information and equal and engaged participants in a democracy.”

Readings from the News Literacy Project

Read the following articles from the News Literacy Project to learn about how to spot conspiracy theories, debunk viral hoaxes prompted by memes, and approach in a more critical way online content that you encounter every day.

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