Telling Fact from Fake News: Digital Literacy Training for Adults

press release: Has a friend or family member ever shared a news article with you that turned out to be “fake news”? Or have you ever passed along information only to later learn that it was misinformation? It’s challenging to navigate all the information we encounter daily. But the good news is that there are some essential skills that you can learn to become a more conscientious news consumer and be able to sort fact from fake news. 

Telling Fact from Fake News: Digital Literacy Training for Adults will be held on Thursday, November 4 at Sequoya Library from 6:30-8pm.

This training, led by educator and researcher Sara Thomas, will empower participants to be active consumers of digital content in their daily lives. We will focus on developing and practicing cognitive and technical skills like lateral searching, assessing conflicts of interest, identifying sponsors, evaluating evidence, and more. Participants will leave with some basic resources that will prepare them to intervene when encountering misinformation. 

Designed especially for older adults, this training will benefit any curious and thoughtful adult learner. Participants should be familiar with performing a basic internet search. You are encouraged to bring your own smart phone, tablet, or laptop. Laptops are available upon registering.

You can find more information and pre-register on Madison Public Library’s event page. Or register by phone, 608-266-6385.

This event is sponsored by the Center for the Humanities at UW-Madison and Madison Public Library.

About the presenter: Sara Thomas is a writing teacher, editor, and researcher, who has been teaching “digital literacy” to freshman at UW-Madison for 4 years.