Critical Literacy in the Post-Truth Media Landscape

Abstract

In the post-truth era, information is harder to trust than ever before. News has become more about entertainment than information and consumers now subscribe to media in order to have their view reinforced and not challenged. The media environment has become more tribal, defining the people who consume it. On top of this environment, the plague that is fake news has descended upon the internet, making truth a relative concept rather than a scientific one. Navigating the media and finding truth in current events has become a confusing process. In the wake of the major events of 2016 – Brexit and the United States election, two events that were defined by misinformation, lies and fake news – post-truth emerged as a political term to define the era we now live in. It is one where truth is of little value and people give in to the politics of emotion rather than fact. This sets a dangerous scene for democracy and threatens to undermine any major future democratic processes. In order to alleviate this issue, a critical media literacy must be adopted in education. Students need to be given the tools to critically analyse media as well as understand the structures of power behind media organizations, what their goals are and who they serve. In doing so, fake news can lose much of its power and truth can emerge.