Welcome to our newly redesigned website—fresh look, improved experience, and easier access to what matters most. Explore and enjoy!

Media Literacy: An Overview

In the era of highly partisan and untrustworthy news, it’s more important than ever to better understand the basics of reporting and hard-news journalism. This class will help you come away with a working understanding of how and why different media outlets are biased and the importance of broadening the scope of the news outlets you regularly follow. It will also help you define and recognize your own bias as a news consumer and editor. The course will cover print, digital, and television legacy media outlets and social media. We will also discuss the importance of inclusive language and the rapidly evolving role of AI. 
This course may be used to fulfill the requirements of the Certificate in Journalism and the  Certificate in Professional Copyediting, Proofreading, and Fact-Checking.

Questions? Contact us at The Center for Publishing, Writing, and Media. Email us at sps.pwm.ce@nyu.edu or call 212-998-7289.  
Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 0.5

You'll walk away with

  • A practical understanding of bias in traditional media and the role of social media
  • The ability to distinguish between legitimate news and fabricated stories or opinion pieces
  • The language tools necessary to ensure that the stories you copy edit are not offensive or misleading

Ideal for

  • Anyone who wants to better understand what news they can trust
  • Students with an interest in journalism

Upcoming courses

Registration is recommended at least three weeks before the course start date.