Media Literacy
/ˈmēdēə ˈlidərəsē/

Media literacy is defined to be the ability for a citizen to adequately sift through, analyze, and inform oneself about current affairs and events through mainstream media, all while determining which reports are factual and which reports are inaccurate. The problem today with Media Literacy across the United States is not newfound; there's been a couple of rapidly growing problems plaguing the United States in this regard:

A Lack of Trust:

• As of 2021, just 29% of Americans trust online news sources and 41% of all Americans actively choose to avoid it.

A Lack of Identification:

• Around 80% of surveyed students in high school & college couldn’t identify biased content from various news sources.

A Lack of Restriction:

• In 2020, there were 1.8 billion fake news engagements on Facebook, up by 242% from 500 million in 2016.

How Do We Solve This?

Introducing a free, online policy competition for students in teams of 1-4 to write proposals, editorials, or letters that address critical problems in media-literacy-related tracks: LexGen's Media Literacy Policython.

Part of the larger Media Literacy Forum hosted by LexGen, the Media Literacy Policython encompasses a more engaging and successful way to bring students across high school and college together to combat the wide-ranging issues of Media Illiteracy, Distrust, Misidentification, and Restrictions.

The Media Literacy Forum has a three-pronged approach:

The Policython: 

• As mentioned earlier, this is where YOU get to create a tangible deliverable to address these issues and highlight your perspective on the issues!

The Workshops: 

• Here, you'll get connected with guest speakers, mentors, and professionals from around the world, who'll be critiquing your solutions, providing feedback, and giving you the necessary tips to achieve success!

The Connections: 

• In partaking in the event, successful participants will get connected with organizations, agencies, nonprofits, and universities to bring their ideas to reality!

General Event Information

About LexGen

LexGen is a nonpartisan, student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a unique focus on civics-engagement projects. As a leading organization championing the improvement of Civics Education and Media Literacy in the United States, we regularly design open-source, free curriculum for hundreds of teachers to use in their classrooms while working with communities, organizations, and departments like the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Census Bureau. LexGen is at the forefront of the development of civics applications, platforms, and legislation: we are passionate about civics and we hope that the Media Literacy Forum sparks your interest in it as well!