Who wrote this article — and when?
Why did he or she choose to write it?
And does this person really know about the subject? (How do you know that?)
These are all important questions to ask yourself as you read this article. But it’s not just because this is Media Literacy Week. You should be asking yourself those types of questions for every type of text you ever read — and every kind of media!
Media includes ads, articles, books, games, magazines, movies, and TV shows. Together, they use a combination of text, pictures, and sounds to send a message. But should you always believe the information you receive? No way! That’s why it’s important to know your sources!
Primary and Secondary Sources
News reporters need to collect their information from different sources. There are two main types — primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources provide first-hand information directly. They include interviews, diaries, and speeches. An autobiography is a primary source because the author is writing about his or her own life. Scientific data, photos, and works of art are examples as well. Artifacts from history also count as primary sources!
Secondary sources provide second-hand information. These types of sources other sources. They include articles, books, encyclopedia entries, reviews, and essays. A biography is a secondary source because the author is writing about someone else’s experiences.
Which Sources Do Journalists Use?
Journalists should use many sources to produce a news story. For example, a reporter may interview a person from an event to understand what they saw. She may also read a book about the topic to learn about the subject. Primary sources are often more
, but both are valuable.
Evaluate Your Source!
It’s not enough to know the source of your information. You also need to
your sources. That will help you learn whether you can trust the info. After all, the author has a purpose in creating the piece of media. That may be to inform or entertain you. However, he or she may use certain words to make you feel a certain way. Maybe the creator wants to make you believe something that isn’t true!
Here are some key questions to ask about a source:
• Can I trust this source to tell me the truth?
• Who might benefit from this message? Who might be harmed by it?
• How does this make me feel? How do those emotions affect my interpretation of the text?
• How might different people understand this message differently?
Follow these tips, and you can be a media master!
Updated October 23, 2023, 5:02 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
