Media Literacy: Books, Articles, & Reports

The books, articles, and reports on this page include a range of resources about media literacy for both K-12 students and general audiences. Books and articles on this list are open access, meaning they can be accessed online by anyone at no charge.

Table of Contents

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Books

K-12

All K-12 books are available through your Public Library. Books labelled Open Access are available for free download.

  • Maloy, Robert W., Torrey Trust, Allison Butler, and Chenyang Xu. 2021. Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning: Interactive Explorations for Students and Teachers. EdTech Books.
    • Open Access
    • Description from Publisher: Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning is an interactive, multimodal, multicultural, open access eBook for teaching and learning key topics in United States Government and Civic Life through the lens of media literacy. It features more than 100 learning activities that promote awareness of, and critical thinking about, the role that all types of media — online and in print — play in our lives and in our politics. Each chapter serves as a companion to the Building Democracy for All eBook and includes one or more media literacy activities that promote higher-order thinking and creative self-expression among upper elementary, middle, and high school students.
  • Rex, Michael. 2020. Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books.
    • Description from WorldCat: Robots try to figure out the difference between facts and opinions.
  • Roberts, Jillian and Jane Heinrichs. On the Internet: Our First Talk about Online Safety. Victoria, British Columbia: Orca Books.
    • Description from WorldCat: Using real-world examples set within the context of a child who is using the internet for the first time and watching an older sibling interact with social media, Dr. Roberts takes readers through several common scenarios around parental supervision, online bullying and anonymity.

General

All books are Open Access

  • Ashley, Seth. 2020. News Literacy and Democracy. New York: Routledge.
    • Description from Publisher: News Literacy and Democracy invites readers to go beyond surface-level fact checking and to examine the structures, institutions, practices, and routines that comprise news media systems. This introductory text underscores the importance of news literacy to democratic life and advances an argument that critical contexts regarding news media structures and institutions should be central to news literacy education. Under the larger umbrella of media literacy, a critical approach to news literacy seeks to examine the mediated construction of the social world and the processes and influences that allow some news messages to spread while others get left out. Drawing on research from a range of disciplines, including media studies, political economy, and social psychology, this book aims to inform and empower the citizens who rely on news media so they may more fully participate in democratic and civic life. The book is an essential read for undergraduate students of journalism and news literacy and will be of interest to scholars teaching and studying media literacy, political economy, media sociology, and political psychology.
  • Bennett, W. Lance and Steven Livingston. (Eds.). 2020. Disinformation Age. Cambridge University Press.
    • Description from Publisher: The intentional spread of falsehoods – and attendant attacks on minorities, press freedoms, and the rule of law – challenge the basic norms and values upon which institutional legitimacy and political stability depend. How did we get here? The Disinformation Age assembles a remarkable group of historians, political scientists, and communication scholars to examine the historical and political origins of the post-fact information era, focusing on the United States but with lessons for other democracies.
  • Galán, José Gómez, and Cristina Lázaro-Pérez (Eds.). 2023. Media Education and Digital Literacy. Basel, Switzerland: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
    • Chapter 1. Theoretical Principles of a New Media and Technology Education: Theoretical approach to the problems addressed in the book.
    • Chapter 2. Outside Training of Spanish University Students of Education for the Didactic Application of Cinema – Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal Perspectives: Study on the effect of training on perceptions of the educational potential of cinema in universities as a teaching instrument.
    • Chapter 3. The Development of the Competency of “Cultural Awareness and Expressions” Using Movie-Induced Tourism as a Didactic Resource: Analysis of the role of film tourism in the development of skills in the cultural sphere.
    • Chapter 4. Assessment of Digital Competencies of University Faculty and Their Conditioning Factors – Case Study in a Technological Adoption Context: Ex post facto methodology for the study of the development of digital competences among university teaching staff.
    • Chapter 5. Tourism and ICT. Bibliometric Study on Digital Literacy in Higher Education: Literature review on digital literacy and tourism in universities.
    • Chapter 6. Portuguese Primary and Secondary Education in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic – An Exploratory Study on Teacher Training and Challenges: Exploratory analysis of ICT teacher training in Portuguese primary and secondary education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Greifeneder, Rainer, Mariela Jaffe, Eryn Newman, and Norbert Schwarz. 2021. The Psychology of Fake News – Accepting, Sharing, and Correcting Misinformation. Routledge.
    • Description from Publisher: This volume examines the phenomenon of fake news by bringing together leading experts from different fields within psychology and related areas, and explores what has become a prominent feature of public discourse since the first Brexit referendum and the 2016 US election campaign. Dealing with misinformation is important in many areas of daily life, including politics, the marketplace, health communication, journalism, education, and science. In a general climate where facts and misinformation blur, and are intentionally blurred, this book asks what determines whether people accept and share (mis)information, and what can be done to counter misinformation? All three of these aspects need to be understood in the context of online social networks, which have fundamentally changed the way information is produced, consumed, and transmitted. The contributions within this volume summarize the most up-to-date empirical findings, theories, and applications and discuss cutting-edge ideas and future directions of interventions to counter fake news. Also providing guidance on how to handle misinformation in an age of “alternative facts”, this is a fascinating and vital reading for students and academics in psychology, communication, and political science and for professionals including policy makers and journalists.
  • Haider, Kutta, and Olof Sundin. 2022. Paradoxes of Media and Information Literacy: The Crisis of Information. 1st ed. London: Routledge.
    • Description from Publisher: Paradoxes of Media and Information Literacy contributes to ongoing conversations about control of knowledge and different ways of knowing. It does so by analyzing why media and information literacy (MIL) is proposed as a solution for addressing the current information crisis. Haider and Sundin take the reader on a journey across different fields of practice, research and policymaking, including librarianship, information studies, teaching and journalism, media and communication and the educational sciences. The authors also consider national information policy proposals and the recommendations of NGOs or international bodies, such as UNESCO and the OECD. Paradoxes of Media and Information Literacy combines careful analytical and conceptual discussions with an in-depth understanding of information practices and of the contemporary information infrastructure. It is essential reading for scholars and students engaged in library and information studies, media and communication, journalism studies and the educational sciences.
  • Mihailidis, Paul. 2019. Civic Media Literacies: Re-Imagining Human Connection in an Age of Digital Abundance. 1st ed. New York: Routledge.
    • Description from Publisher: Civic life today is mediated. Communities small and large are now using connective platforms to share information, engage in local issues, facilitate vibrant debate, and advocate for social causes. Paul Mihailidis explores the texture of daily engagement in civic life, and the resources—human, technological, and practical—that citizens employ when engaging in civic actions for positive social impact. In addition to examining the daily civic actions that are embedded in media and digital literacies and human connectedness, Mihailidis outlines a model for empowering young citizens to use media to meaningfully engage in daily life.
  • Mills, Kathy A., Len Unsworth, and Laura Scholes. 2022. Literacy for Digital Futures: Mind, Body, Text. 1st ed. New York: Routledge.
    • Description from Publisher: The unprecedented rate of global, technological, and societal change calls for a radical, new understanding of literacy. This book offers a nuanced framework for making sense of literacy by addressing knowledge as contextualized, embodied, multimodal, and digitally mediated. To prepare teachers, scholars, and researchers for the digital future, the book is organized around three themes – Mind and Materiality; Body and Senses; and Texts and Digital Semiotics – to shape readers’ understanding of literacy. Opening up new interdisciplinary themes, Mills, Unsworth, and Scholes confront emerging issues for next-generation digital literacy practices. The volume helps new and established researchers rethink dynamic changes in the materiality of texts and their implications for the mind and body, and features recommendations for educational and professional practice.
  • Rogers, Richard. (Ed.). The Propagation of Misinformation in Social Media: A Cross-platform Analysis. 1st ed. Amsterdam University Press.
    • There is growing awareness about how social media circulate extreme viewpoints and turn up the temperature of public debate. Posts that exhibit agitation garner disproportionate engagement. Within this clamour, fringe sources and viewpoints are mainstreaming, and mainstream media are marginalized. This book takes up the mainstreaming of the fringe and the marginalization of the mainstream. In a cross-platform analysis of Google Web Search, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, 4chan and TikTok, we found that hyperpartisan web operators, alternative influencers and ambivalent commentators are in ascendency. The book can be read as a form of platform criticism. It puts on display the current state of information online, noting how social media platforms have taken on the mantle of accidental authorities, privileging their own on-platform performers and at the same time adjudicating between claims of what is considered acceptable discourse.
  • Seitz, Peter, Mark Eisenegger, and Manfred Bergman. (Eds.). 2023. Fighting Fake Facts. 1st ed. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI.
    • Description from Publisher: Scientific methods, known for their systematic and rigorous approaches, have yielded countless discoveries and essential technologies that enhance our lives, fostering ease, productivity, and comfort. Yet, many of these discoveries and technologies have facilitated the dissemination of false and potentially harmful information—the realm of fake facts. The distortion of information, encompassing misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation, poses a threat to democratic societies and the core of scientific progress. Consequently, the scientific community must explore why fake news resonates, identify detection strategies, and develop effective countermeasures. The years 2020 and 2021, dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, underscored the impact of fake news. Conspiracy theories, dangerous pseudo-therapies, and anti-vaccine movements thrived, highlighting the urgency of addressing false information. The collection of articles in this book covers key topics related to fake facts and fake news, aiming to enhance our understanding of their impact and to counter them using scientific principles.
  • Silverman, Craig. n.d. Verification Handbook for Disinformation And Media Manipulation. 3rd ed. European Journalism Centre.
    • Description from Publisher: Today’s information environment is more chaotic and easier to manipulate than ever before. This book equips journalists with the knowledge to investigate social media accounts, bots, private messaging apps, information operations, deep fakes, as well as other forms of disinformation and media manipulation.
  • Thevenin, Benjamin. 2022. Making Media Matter: Critical Literacy, Popular Culture, and Creative Production. 1st ed. New York: Routledge.
    • Description from Publisher: This book is an essential resource for media educators working to promote critical thinking, creativity, and civic engagement through their teaching. Connecting theory and research with creative projects and analyses of pop culture, it models an integrated and practical approach to media education. Integrating concepts and practices from the fields of media studies, media arts, and media literacy, this book prepares teachers to help their students make connections between their studies, uses of media, creative expression, and political participation. As educators implement the strategies in this book in their curricula and pedagogy, they will be empowered to help their students more thoughtfully engage with media culture and use their intelligence and imagination to address pressing challenges facing our world today. Making Media Matter is an engaging and accessible read for educators and scholars in the areas of media literacy, media and cultural studies, media arts, and communication studies.
  • Timke, Scott. Algorithms and the End of Politics: How Technology Shapes 21st-Century American Life. 2021. 1st ed. Bristol University Press.
    • Description from Publisher: This timely study considers the growing impacts of digital technologies on populism in the US and beyond. Analysing the rise of digital devices, social networks and the technology giants behind them, Timcke provides new perspectives on data politics and digital and economic sociology demonstrating the power of algorithms on political legitimism and everyday life.

Articles

All articles are Open Access

  • Celik, Ismail, Hanni Muukkonen, and Selcuk Dogan. 2021. “A Model for Understanding New Media Literacy: Epistemological Beliefs and Social Media Use.” Library & Information Science Research 43 (4):101-125. doi: 10.1016/j.lisr.2021.101125.
    • Abstract: New media literacy (NML) skills are regarded as crucial for the 21st century. However, there is limited research on the factors affecting NML skills. A robust model was built for exploring the antecedents of NML. The model incorporated epistemological beliefs and social media use purposes. Individuals’ purposes of social media use were found to have an effect on beliefs about information. Further, interactional and communicational use of social media makes epistemological beliefs more sophisticated. Also, the purposes of social media use and epistemological beliefs affect NML skills. Accordingly, interactional use of social media might contribute to justifying information, in turn, increasing NML skills. This study indicates that knowledge of social media use and epistemological beliefs enables us to largely understand the NML skills.
  • Cho, Hyunyi, Julie Cannon, Rachel Lopez, and Wenbo Li. 2022. “Social Media Literacy: A Conceptual Framework.” New Media & Society Online First:1-20. doi: 10.1177/14614448211068530.
    • Abstract: Concerns over the harmful effects of social media have directed public attention to media literacy as a potential remedy. Current conceptions of media literacy are frequently based on mass media, focusing on the analysis of common content and evaluation of the content using common values. This article initiates a new conceptual framework of social media literacy (SoMeLit). Moving away from the mass media-based assumptions of extant approaches, SoMeLit centers on the user’s self in social media that is in dynamic causation with their choices of messages and networks. The foci of analysis in SoMeLit, therefore, are one’s selections and values that influence and are influenced by the construction of one’s reality on social media; and the evolving characteristics of social media platforms that set the boundaries of one’s social media reality construction. Implications of the new components and dimensions of SoMeLit for future research, education, and action are discussed.
  • Haywood, Alcia Haywood and Sabrina Sembiante (2023) “Media Literacy Education for Parents: A Systematic Literature Review” Journal of Media Literacy Education 15 (3):79–92. 10.23860/JMLE-2023-15-3-7.
    • Abstract: This systematic literature review examines emergent approaches toward media literacy education for parents. Method guidelines for review originated from the 2020 update of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The review sample consists of twelve studies, six originating in the United States, and six from other parts of the world. Findings include: (a) assessments of parent needs, interest in media literacy education, and receptiveness to learning, (b) integration of media literacy education with parental mediation instruction toward positive, healthy child development and socialization – shifts attention from reactive management of media effects to issue prevention or healthy balance, (c) short-term effectiveness of media literacy interventions involving parents that foster improvements in family dynamics, such as parent-child communication, and (d) U.S.-based studies employ interventionist approaches to media literacy education for parents, while gathering parental insights to inform program construction is foregrounded abroad.
  • Levido, Amanda. 2024. “Media Literacy and the Concept of ‘technologies’ in Primary School Classrooms: Moving Beyond Technical Skills” Learning, Media and Technology Online First. doi: 10.1080/17439884.2024.2308609.
    • Abstract: Media literacy education in Australia is underpinned by the key concepts of media education: technologies, representations, institutions, audiences, languages and, more recently, relationships. The conceptual approach to media literacy education continues to offer a way for teachers and students to critically examine the media. In Australia, this usually occurs through the subject strand of Media Arts; however, little research explores how the concepts are used in primary school classrooms. This study investigates how the key concept of ‘technologies’ was enacted in three primary school classrooms. A case study methodology was employed to gain insight into how teaching and learning experiences develop an understanding of the concept of ‘technologies’. A thematic analysis determined that the concept of ‘technologies’ was explored in the case study classrooms. However, technology was used as a tool to complete tasks rather than a nuanced examination of how technology enables and constrains production and distribution.
  • Moore, Ryan C., and Jeffrey T. Hancock. 2022. “A Digital Media Literacy Intervention for Older Adults Improves Resilience to Fake News.” Scientific Reports 12 (1):6008. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-08437-0.
    • Abstract: Older adults are especially susceptible to fake news online, possibly because they are less digitally literate compared to younger individuals. Interventions for older adults have emerged to improve digital literacy, although there has been little evaluation of their effectiveness in improving older adults’ resilience to fake news. This article reports the results of a digital literacy intervention for older adults administered during the 2020 U.S. election. The intervention was a 1-hour, self-directed series of interactive modules designed to teach concepts and skills for identifying misinformation online. Consistent with the pre-registered hypothesis, older adults (Mage = 67) in the treatment condition (N = 143) significantly improved their likelihood of accurately discerning fake from true news from 64% pre-intervention to 85% post-intervention. In contrast, older adults in the control condition (N = 238) did not significantly improve (from 55% to 57%). The treated older adults were also more likely to employ strategies for identifying misinformation online compared to pre-intervention and the control group.
  • Polanco-Levicán, Karina, and Sonia Salvo-Garrido. 2022. “Understanding Social Media Literacy: A Systematic Review of the Concept and Its Competences.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19 (14):1-16. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19148807.
    • Abstract: Nowadays, people spend long periods on social media, ignoring the implications this carries in daily life. In this context, the concept of social media literacy, an emerging concept scarcely developed in the literature, is relevant. This study sought to analyze, descriptively, the main definitions and competences of the concept of social media literacy. The methodology included a systematic search of literature in the databases Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus between 2010 and 2021, applying filters for English and Spanish, including only scientific articles. A total of 1093 articles were obtained. An article selection process took place, applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, resulting in a total of 15 articles being selected. The findings indicate that the concept of social media literacy is based on media literacy to then integrate the characteristics and the implications of digital platforms. This is linked to the development of cognitive competences, where critical thinking, socio-emotional competences, and technical competences are fundamental, considering the social context.
  • Potter, W. James. 2022. “Analysis of Definitions of Media Literacy.” Journal of Media Literacy Education 14 (2). doi: 10.23860/JMLE-2022-14-2-3.
    • Abstract: This study provides an analysis of how the term “media literacy” has been defined by authors of articles published in the Journal of Media Literacy Education. It generates answers to two questions: (1) To what extent does there appear to be a shared meaning for the term “media literacy” across authors who publish articles on this topic, and (2) When authors cite definitions of media literacy, which sources do they use most often? The findings of this content analysis reveal that there are a great many definitions being used for media literacy as well as a large number of sources being cited for those definitions. This study uncovered more than 400 definitional elements, which were then organized into a six-category scheme that reflects the full span of thinking exhibited by authors of the 210 articles published in this journal.
  • Potter, W. James. 2023. “Critically Analyzing the Meanings of ‘Critical’ Media Literacy.” Journal of Media Literacy Education 15 (3):110–127. doi: 10.23860/JMLE-2023-15-3-9.
    • Abstract: This study provides a critical analysis into how authors of publications about critical media literacy express what they mean by the term. The use of multiple strategies to examine the degree to which these authors exhibit a sharing of meaning led to the conclusion that there are far more differences than commonalities across definitions of critical media literacy. The implications of this conclusion raise important questions about the value of a literature where authors seem to express so many different meanings for the concept that they use to label their common concern.
  • Rao, Dingxin, Changhee Lee, and Mark Dressman. 2023. “Learning with the Stars: A Cross-national Approach to Media Literacy and Reality Television” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 67:65–73 doi: 10.1002/jaal.1306.
    • Abstract: Reality television (RT) programming is frequently and rightfully criticized and yet its popularity among adolescent and young adult viewers is also undeniable. In response to the need for media literacy programs to address the pleasures, the problems, and the pedagogy of the genre, we have chosen to take a cross-national, comparative approach and to model a process for teaching through our own research. Three popular reality tv programs were selected from each of our respective nations (China, South Korea, the United States) from one of three subgenres: Dancing, Restaurants, and Travel. We each watched episodes of all nine programs, inventoried their features and took notes. We then compared and contrasted the programs cross-nationally and across genres, and identified four themes: Pedagogy; Individualism and Collectivism; Tradition and Modernity; and Globalism and Nationalism. We found striking differences across nations in our analysis that provide important insights into our respective national cultures. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of our process for teaching about RT.
  • Schmitz, Maria-Luisa, Tessa Consoli, Chiara Antonietti, Alberto Cattaneo, Philipp Gonon, and Dominik Petko. 2024. “Why Do Some Teachers Teach Media Literacy While Others Do Not? – Exploring Predictors along the ‘Will, Skill, Tool, Pedagogy'” Model Computers in Human Behavior 151:108004. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2023.108004.
    • Abstract: The present study aims to identify factors that predict whether teachers engage in teaching about digital technologies (media education), which is an under-researched topic compared to the research about teaching with digital technologies (technology integration). Thus, a popular model of technology integration—the “will, skill, tool, pedagogy” model—guided our research on media education. Based on a survey of 2247 Swiss upper secondary school teachers, we found that for most of the media education topics, only a minority of teachers indicated that they have addressed them in class. Multilevel binomial regression analyses revealed that teachers’ responsibility beliefs (will) were one of the most important predictors of discussing media education topics. Furthermore, teachers’ self-assessed technical skills (skill) positively predicted whether they taught media literacy, whereas skills in teaching with digital technologies perceived by teachers (pedagogy) only promoted the likelihood that teachers would address topics of critical evaluation of online information and ethical questions of automation. The quality of the schools’ infrastructure (tool) seemed to be of minor importance or to have even detrimental effects in the context of media education. Moreover, we observed differences between subjects in engagement in media education, with language, arts, and humanities teachers being particularly more likely to cover aspects of media literacy in class.

Journals

Reports

K-12

General

  • American Library Association. 2020. Media Literacy in the Library: A Guide for Library Practitioners.
    • “[I]nformation, program ideas and conversation starters on topics like misinformation and disinformation; architecture of the internet; civics; media landscape and economics; and media creation and engagement.”
  • Bateman, Jon and Dean Jackson. 2024. Countering Disinformation Effectively: An Evidence-Based Policy Guide. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
    • “A high-level, evidence-informed guide to some of the major proposals for how democratic governments, platforms, and others can counter disinformation.”
  • Chibás Ortiz, F. and S. Novomisky. 2023. Navigating the Infodemic with MIL: Media and Information Literacy. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
    • Comprehensive look into various issues, including digital citizenship, digital literacy, disinformation, and educational policies.
  • National Association for Media Literacy Education. 2024. Snapshot 2024: Media Literacy Education in the United States
    • Media Literacy Education in the United States measures media literacy content, standards, and perceptions from a variety of educators. The Snapshot reflects findings from our 2023 state of media literacy survey, open from July-September 2023, and considers deep contextual understanding of recent developments in research and policy, education, and public understanding of media literacy, so we can begin to better understand: