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AbstractWhile research on misinformation in Africa has increased in recent years, and despite a growing body of theoretical and empirical work that considers the role of governments, platforms, and users in stopping misinformation globally, there is still a lack of empirical research addressing ways to curb its spread on the continent. Research has coalesced around the idea that no single approach will work in all contexts, and effective strategies need to include media literacy, fact-checking, changes in how news is produced and circulated, government oversight, and regulations as well as responses that take local contexts into account. Using data from 36 focus groups in six sub-Saharan African countries, we examine audiences’ experiences with misinformation and perceptions of institutional and personal roles and responsibility for both preventing and intervening in the spread of misinformation. First, we examine perceptions of misinformation with a particular focus on whether misinformation is perceived as “a problem.” Second, we examine perceived responsibility for addressing misinformation and possible solutions to the problem. Findings suggest that participants perceive misinformation as a problem if it has real or potential negative consequences and express a sense of shared responsibility among individuals and institutions for stopping the spread of misinformation.

AbstractA growing body of work in journalism studies focuses on understanding audiences’ relationship with news and misinformation. This article adds to this area of inquiry by exploring Kenyans’ experiences with news and (mis)information in their everyday lives, how they use traditional and social media to meet their information needs, and how they navigate information ecosystems with a particular focus on news literacy strategies. This study broadens the scope of current audience research, which has primarily been conducted in the Global North, by using data collected in focus groups with Kenyan adults. Findings suggest that Kenyans consume news from a variety of sources, but trust in these sources vary with most finding “mainstream” news media most trustworthy. In addition, when faced with misinformation, participants’ decisions on whether to engage with the content was based on personal interest in the topic, perceived resonance within their social networks and perceived importance. Finally, participants discussed strategies consistent with news literacy behaviours, such as looking at multiple sources, checking the source of news, and verifying content to navigate complex media ecosystems.

In recent years, young people engaged in political discourse and civic action online. U.S.-based social movements centered on equity issues, such as Black Lives Matter, Dreamers, and March for Our Lives, engaged young people in shaping and publicizing the goals of these movements through digital platforms. Increasingly in communities at the margins, young Americans need digital and media literacy skills to supplement contentious education restrictions within the United States, as with many state bills curtailing the teaching of LGBTQIA+ histories and critical race theory. With these considerations in mind, our team conducted a national study of impactful media literacy in the United States. The study included an extensive literature review, interviews with key stakeholders, and a national survey of educators within the United States. Aimed at understanding the practices in formal and informal learning spaces, the research process inspired the creation of a field guide focused on offering resources for equity-focused media literacy practices that can support educators where professional structures could not, a core finding from our study on impactful media literacy. This paper shares the process for creating the Field Guide for Equitable Media Literacy Practices, developed and published as a form of public-facing scholarship to encourage all media literacy practitioners to undergo a transformative learning process. The field guide offers a series of approaches to equitable media literacy practices centered on equity and inclusion. While the research is U.S.-based, we believe the practices suggested within the field guide apply globally, especially as we see an increase in youth movements that impact beyond geographic and cultural boundaries.

The abundance of misinformation spreading online has precipitated a need to investigate experiences with misinformation in more closed spaces like those found on WhatsApp. Based on interviews with Kenyan adults, this study examines participants’ perceptions of misinformation circulated on WhatsApp and its potential consequences, interactions with misinformation, and decision-making. Findings indicate that participants perceive sharing misinformation on WhatsApp as a means of telling others about what is happening around them. Participants acknowledged the dangers of misinformation spread on WhatsApp but were wary of correcting it because of family and friend dynamics; they were afraid of humiliation or embarrassment; they assumed that the information had not spread to too many others; and they perceived some misinformation as harmless memes.

Developing news media literacy skills is recognized as an important part of becoming an informed citizen, but not enough research examines how growth in media literacy differs by individual characteristics. Using a panel study of undergraduate students, we examine which predispositions predict growth in news media literacy beliefs over the semester. We then test whether growth in news media literacy leads individuals to more highly value and engage in heterogeneous political discussion, a critical part of a functioning democracy. Our results suggest some individuals experience more growth in news media literacy, and that growth contributes to democratic attitudes and behaviors.

This in-depth case study examines attempts to transform a traditional newsroom to one oriented around civic journalism principles, offering a unique look at the resistance toward those principles even in a digital environment that facilitates new audience relationships. Civic journalism emphasizes understanding and addressing community concerns from a citizen perspective. This study finds that journalists still struggle to integrate citizens’ contributions into newsroom practice in meaningful ways.

In this study, we test the effectiveness of a short news media literacy message with audiences who differ in their media literacy education. We manipulate whether individuals are exposed to a news media literacy public service announcement (PSA) immediately before viewing a political program among two groups: students enrolled in media education courses versus students in a non-media course. Findings suggest that the ability of media literacy messages to influence students’ processing of the subsequent political program is conditioned by their preexisting media literacy education. This study provides insights for considering how classroom and non-classroom media literacy interventions can work together to improve media literacy.

In an evolving news environment, our understanding and application of “news media literacy” must also evolve to equip individuals with the skills to critically engage with news and participate in public life. Using an experimental design, this study tests different news media literacy messages to determine whether certain messages appeal to some groups over others and whether their effectiveness depends on the media context in which they are consumed by pairing these messages with a clip from The Daily Show. Our findings suggest that different news media literacy messages were seen as successful in conveying their message and promoting political engagement, but these effects also depend on media context and audience characteristics. This study fills a gap by developing and testing realistic news media literacy messages for their democratic potential.

Diffusion of innovations theory typically has been applied to the spread of a particular technology or practice rather than the interplay of a cluster of innovations. This case study of a news company undergoing significant change seeks to offer a deeper understanding of multi-faceted industry upheaval by considering the diffusion of three interdependent yet distinct changes. Findings suggest technological change faces the fewest hurdles, as journalists recognize the need to adapt their practices to newer capabilities. Changes to audience relationships face greater resistance, while responses to changes to the professional culture of journalism remain the most tepid.

Researchers found those exposed to a media literacy presentation were less likely to perceive a story on a controversial issue to be biased.

We present a dual-imaging technique combining laser speckle contrast imaging and spectral-domain Doppler optical coherence tomography to enable quantitative characterization of local cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes in rat cortex in response to drug stimulus (e.g., cocaine) at high spatiotemporal resolutions. To examine the utility of this new technique, animal experiments were performed to study the influences of anesthetic regimes (e.g., isoflurane, α-chloralose) on the pharmadynamic effects of acute cocaine challenge. The results showed that cocaine-evoked CBF patterns (e.g., increases in α-chloralose and decreases in isoflurane regimes) were quantitatively characterized, thus rendering it a potentially useful tool for imaging studies of brain functions.

We present a catheter-based optical diffusion and fluorescence (ODF) probe to study the functional changes of the brain in vivo. This ODF probe enables the simultaneous detection of the multi-wavelength absorbance and fluorescence emission from the living rat brain. Our previous studies, including a transient stroke experiment of the rat brain as well as the brain response to cocaine, have established the feasibility of simultaneously determining changes in cerebral blood volume (CBV), tissue oxygenation (StO2)and intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i, using the fluorescence indicator Rhod2). Here, we present our preliminary results of somatosensory response to electrical forepaw stimulation obtained from the rat cortical brain by using the ODF probe, which indicate that the probe could track brain activation by directly detecting [Ca2+]ialong with separately distinguishing CBV and StO2in real time. The changes of CBV, StO2and [Ca2+]iare comparable with the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) response to the stimulation obtained using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, the high temporal resolution of the optical methodology is advanced, thus providing a new modality for brain functional studies to understand the hemodynamic changes that underlie the neuronal activity.