Misinformation is everywhere. But you can outsmart it.
This free short course from MediaWise for Seniors will teach you how to tell what’s true and false on the internet. By looking at examples of political, health, travel and climate misinformation, you will learn techniques for identifying false information and how to seek out trustworthy sources.
Christiane Amanpour, Joan Lunden, Lester Holt, Hari Sreenivasan and Dave Jorgenson — MediaWise Ambassadors — will also pop in to share their advice as experienced journalists to help you navigate information on platforms like Google, Facebook and more.
We will not be telling you how to feel about topics or issues. Instead, we will teach you how to identify misleading, false or dangerous information on the internet. Our goal is to help you make decisions based on reliable, credible information.
If you’re aware of what’s out there and use the free fact-checking tools at your fingertips, you can navigate a sea of digital misinformation with confidence.
Who should enroll
The self-directed course is meant for people 50 years and older who regularly consume news online, often via social platforms like Facebook. The course does not require special internet skills or abilities and is meant for anyone hoping to better detect for themselves what’s true and what’s false online.
Cost
The value of this interactive, one-hour course is $50. This course was made available free thanks to support from Facebook.
FAQ
What is MediaWise for Seniors?
MediaWise is a nonprofit, nonpartisan digital media literacy initiative led by The Poynter Institute. Its mission is to teach Americans of all ages how to sort fact from fiction online. MediaWise content has been viewed 44 million times by more than 9 million people since the project launched in 2018.
MediaWise for Seniors was announced in 2020 to bring MediaWise tips to the 50+ population. MediaWise for Seniors has a program funded by AARP to provide resources to their membership and a program funded by Facebook bringing virtual training and a social media awareness campaign to the senior population. The foundation of MediaWise was created with support from Google.org as part of Google News Initiative. Learn more at poynter.org/mediawise.
Do funders have control over the course?
No. We prize our reputation for teaching excellence, developed over more than four decades. To preserve that reputation, we retain independence and control over our teaching whether it is funded by tuition or a donor, such as a foundation or corporation. Read more about our ethics policy here.
Who can I contact for more information?
We’d love to hear from you. Email us at info@poynter.org.
