Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints
Can High School Students Check the Veracity of Information About COVID-19? A Critical Media Literacy Proposal in ESL Classes
Abstract
In a globalized and digital world, critical media literacy is imperative when selecting the content we consume amid countless offers.Therefore, the purpose of this study is to analyze how 3rd year high school students from an English as a Second Language class in Brazil check the veracity of information regarding COVID-19 available in a video and the resources they used when writing a journalistic article in pairs demystifying fake news.To this end, firstly students analyzed news about COVID-19 from international websites, secondly, they discussed aspects of a video that circulated widely in WhatsApp groups, and, finally, they produced journalistic articles demystifying fake news about COVID-19. The findings suggest a great capacity of students to justify their perceptions about what is fact and what is fake once they were provoked to do so, showing a high level of critical media literacy and news literacy.