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\nHave you clicked through to this article from your news feed? Are you checking it on your phone? More of us are consuming news online, and increasingly we\u2019re turning to social media for news. Social media platforms are now the main source of news for Australians aged 18 to 24.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Digital News Report: Australia 2018<\/a>\u00a0shows while Australians\u2019 trust in the media has risen overall, when it comes to online news, 65% of Australians are still concerned about what\u2019s real and what isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Less than one-quarter of those surveyed said they trusted social media as a source of news. A\u00a0Roy Morgan poll<\/a>\u00a0also found nearly half of young Australians (47%) distrust social media.<\/p>\n Despite the issues with trust, news media is a critical part of keeping up to date and informed for most Australians \u2013 particularly young people. It\u2019s crucial we better empower young people to understand our ever-shifting media landscape. This is central to the health of our democracy.<\/p>\n Recent studies<\/a>\u00a0show young Australians are not confident about spotting false news online.\u00a0We surveyed<\/a>\u00a097 primary and secondary school teachers across Catholic, independent and state schools in Tasmania about how they understand the role of contemporary media in the classroom and the challenges they face.<\/p>\n Some 77% of teachers surveyed said they felt equipped to guide students on whether news stories were true and could be trusted, but nearly one-quarter say they couldn\u2019t. Overwhelmingly, teachers viewed critical thinking about media as important, but nearly one-quarter said they rarely turned it into a classroom activity.<\/p>\n The data from this research identifies the need for more dedicated curricula, professional development and resources to boost critical thinking about media, in and beyond the classroom. In 2017,\u00a0just one in five<\/a>\u00a0young people said they\u2019d received lessons at school in the past year to help them work out if news stories were true and could be trusted.<\/p>\n Many teachers, particularly those at the secondary level, are deeply worried about students\u2019 reliance on digital and mobile media for news.<\/p>\n The concerns about editorial independence and editorial quality raised by\u00a0Nine Entertainment\u2019s takeover of Fairfax Media<\/a>\u00a0has added to the complexity at national and local levels. There are concerns about the implications for\u00a0investigative journalism<\/a>\u00a0and the future of 160 community, regional, rural and suburban\u00a0publications<\/a>\u00a0in Australia and New Zealand. These concerns centre around a potential lack of media diversity in regional and local areas.<\/p>\n Data from\u00a0more than 50 million Facebook users<\/a>\u00a0was harvested without their consent or knowledge. There are also growing fears about where\u00a0artificial intelligence<\/a>\u00a0on our social networks will take us next. Our verification skills are being constantly tested by\u00a0new video and audio trickery<\/a>.<\/p>\nAustralia needs dedicated media literacy curricula<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Why the mistrust of the media?<\/strong><\/h4>\n