Combine the coronavirus and a monumental election, and 2020 is shaping up to be an unprecedented year in the United States. But with crises and elections come false information online. As conscientious voters and health consumers, older Americans are often the target of this misinformation. This thorough, hands-on course will teach seniors how to tell what’s true and false online.
MediaWise for Seniors Ambassadors, Christiane Amanpour and Joan Lunden, will pop in to share their advice as world renowned journalists and help you protect yourself against misinformation. That includes an in-depth look at how social media platforms work, techniques like reverse image searches for identifying false information and lessons on how to be a responsible news consumer and a frank chat about how to talk to family members who share misinformation.
Now more than ever, falling for false information on the internet is a matter of life and death. Thanks to support from Facebook, we are able to make this course tuition-free.
Schedule
The first lesson in this course will be available on Sept. 24, 2020. You’ll be notified as more lessons become available. The full course should take around eight hours to complete, but you can take it at your own pace and on your own time.
Lesson release dates:
- Lesson 1 – Sept. 24, 2020
- Lesson 2 – Oct. 1, 2020
- Lesson 3 – Oct. 8, 2020
- Lesson 4 – Oct. 15, 2020
Course learning outcomes
By the end of this in-depth course, you will be able to:
- Identify and spot the seven different types of misinformation and explain why someone shared them.
- Fact-check social media posts using tools and techniques of professional fact-checkers and report what you find to each social media platform.
- Verify the images and videos you encounter on the internet.
- Identify and consume online news responsibly.
- Explain to family members and friends the pitfalls of sharing misinformation and teach loved ones how to fact-check on their own.
Who should take this course?
The self-guided 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.
