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PSYC 100: Foundations of Psychology (HC) Fall 2025 - Media Assignment

Psychology 100: Foundations of Psychology (Wang)

*Healthy* Skepticism

The News Literacy Project. (2025, October). “Biased,” “boring” and “bad”: Unpacking perceptions of news media and journalism among U.S. teens. https://newslit.org/newsand-research/teens-and-news-media/

  • The majority of teens view news media negatively
     
  • Teens believe journalists are skilled at lying and deceiving
     
  • Teens believe journalists regularly engage in unethical behaviors

 

It's important to approach news media with healthy skepticism.

Conspiracy Theories = NO!

Blind Trust = NO!

Healthy Skepticism = YES!

 

Evaluate Sources with Your A,B,C,Ds -- A

A = Author and accuracy

  • Who wrote or otherwise created the material?
    • Are they an expert in the field?
    • What are their credentials?
    • Do they work for an organization?
      • Is the organization reliable?
         
  • Are there any glaring factual errors?
  • Grammatical or spelling errors?

B

B = Bias

  • People create materials for various reasons: to provide information/education, to push an opinion, to sell something, or just to be funny. 
    • What is the purpose of this material, and does that tell you anything about possible bias?
    • Does the author present a balanced point of view? 
    • Are there any obvious conflicts of interest?
    • Is the tone objective, or is it emotional?
       
  • Recognize your own bias, too!
    • Do you believe what you're seeing/hearing/reading simply because you want to? Because it fits in with your preconceived notions?

C

C = Currency, coverage, and credibility

  • How current is the material? What is an acceptable date range for your topic area?
     
  • Is coverage of the topic in depth, or is it shallow? Does information seem to be missing?
     
  • For research studies, is the methodology sound? What does that say about the credibility of the findings?

D

D = Documentation and duplication

  • Does the author cite his or her sources? Are they credible? 
     
  • Can you find the same information in any other source? If you read it first on social media, can you also find it on the news or in a journal article?
     
  • If research findings, have they been replicated?

Example