Opinion | Saving local news starts in America’s classrooms

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On the ground in Minnesota, local reporters are working around the clock to bring us all context and facts about the federal government’s immigration policies and the community’s response to ICE agents in their neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, on social media, AI-generated images spread unchecked, amplifying false claims designed to inflame tensions and push people to extremes.

What’s happening in Minnesota reminds us of the value of credible, local journalism — reporters, photographers and editors who labor to check facts and avoid bias — and the challenges of sorting through a crush of unverified and false information online.

If we want strong, well-informed communities, people must have the skills to distinguish fact from fiction. As philanthropists increasingly step in to shore up struggling newsrooms, anyone committed to the future of journalism and our country must also invest in our classrooms. News literacy education can help prepare the next generation of news consumers.

It’s no secret that the kind of local reporting we see in Minnesota is in trouble. It’s a startling reality that is playing out across America: local newspapers are shrinking, shutting down or disappearing altogether. Studies consistently have shown that communities without local news sources are less connected and engaged. Political polarization rises, while voting and volunteering decrease.

But there is a second crisis hiding in plain sight. These days, conspiracy theories and viral falsehoods travel faster than the facts — and faster than corrections can set the record straight. Even when reliable reporting exists, fewer people can tell what’s real anymore.

As things stand today, trust in the press is at historic lows among adults, and unless something changes, the outlook is bleak.

Teens — tomorrow’s voters, politicians and community leaders are deeply cynical and disengaged. Studies from the News Literacy Project find that 84% report negative views of the news media, and many say they trust content creators as much as journalists.

This isn’t a failure of young people. They are growing up in an era when speed and online engagement are rewarded — not accuracy. Compound that with the rise of generative AI, which can produce convincing fakes at scale, and the challenge becomes that much harder.

The good news is that distrust and disengagement are not inevitable. Students can learn to be skeptical without being cynical, and to make informed decisions about their lives and their communities.

News literacy is a practical skill: how to check a source, spot a manipulated post and verify before sharing. It is an essential companion investment to strengthening what people see in their feeds every day — because journalism can’t have an impact if people don’t trust it enough to rely on it.

The data suggests news literacy education works. According to the News Literacy Project’s research, teens who are taught news and media literacy report higher trust in news media — 73% compared with 57% among those who haven’t had these lessons. They are more likely to seek out news and consume it more often. Those are the kind of habits and instincts we need to build if we want a healthier democracy and a stronger foundation for local journalism to matter.

To be clear, philanthropy is stepping up. More than half of funders report that they’ve increased giving to news organizations, a 2023 survey found. Even more encouragingly, some major foundations — like the Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Knight Foundation — are investing in both sides of the equation by supporting local newsrooms and news literacy education in our classrooms.

Safeguarding the future of democracy is why I stepped in. I support the News Literacy Project because I have seen firsthand the impact that these investments make on the ground from California to West Virginia. When it comes to building and sustaining healthy news environments, news literacy education is a powerful multiplier.

This week during National News Literacy Week — and frankly, every day of the year — we must empower the next generation with the skills they need to know credible information when they see it, to seek out the facts, and become more active, informed members of our society. That work starts in America’s classrooms.