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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · 5d

In case you're wondering, I'm still not done talking about this movie. Recently I chatted with Laura Yuen at @startribune.com about confusion over AI fakes and how the rise of these tools are deepening distrust and making people question what's real. www.startribune.com/kpop-demon-h...

Yuen: In era of deep doubt, even ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is mistaken for AI

AI slop and other bot-generated content is making it harder for people to discern the truth from fiction.

www.startribune.com

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · 16d

Love this quote from a student in Brooklyn: “ Journalism isn't only hunching over a desk and writing. Journalism is interviewing, understanding the community, and so much more."

Gothamist @gothamist.com · 21d

NYC students push for broader expansion of journalism programs at their schools https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-students-push-for-broader-expansion-of-journalism-programs-at-their-schools

NYC students push for broader expansion of journalism programs at their schools

City Council education committee chair Rita Joseph center with rgw “Journalism for All” student coalition. A new education department report found that about 1.2% of students have access to journalism courses. [ more › ]

gothamist.com

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · Aug 29

New study by @brendannyhan.bsky.social, @jasonreifler.bsky.social & colleagues demonstrates that prebunking election fraud rumors — by warning about anticipated false claims & filling conceptual gaps that those claims exploit — helps to reduce belief in falsehoods: www.science.org/content/arti...

Trust in elections rises after ‘inoculations’ meant to preempt false fraud claims

New U.S.-Brazil study points to ways of countering election misinformation, political scientists say

www.science.org

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Aug 28

📝New from me, on AI and young people and the educators who are making a difference.

Big thanks to the librarians, teachers and students in Oklahoma who spoke with me for this piece.

www.oklahoman.com/story/opinio...

Oklahoma educator Riley Barnes leads a lesson on social media algorithms. The words "search engines," "YouTube," and "TikTok" are visible on the white board behind her.

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

clytiebunyan.bsky.social @clytiebunyan.bsky.social · Aug 27

Worried about teens and AI? Teach them news literacy | Opinion

News literacy helps young people understand that not all information generated by AI tools is accurate and gives them the skills to fact-check.

www.oklahoman.com/story/opinio...

Why more AI education is needed to help kids avoid being duped, misled | Opinion

News literacy helps young people understand that not all information generated by AI tools is accurate and gives them the skills to fact-check.

www.oklahoman.com

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Aug 27

Listen, our social media team was ON IT yesterday. Some engagement news, with a side of media literacy.

News Literacy Project @newslit.org · Aug 26

📢 BIG news doesn't come from a meme or a viral social media rumor. It often gets shared directly by the source - & is always reported on & verified by reputable news outlets.

⤵️ Teachers: Here's how you can turn Taylor Swift's engagement to Travis Kelce into a lesson.

#TaylorSwift
#TravisKelce

Photo of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift from their engagement Instagram post surrounded by heart icons. TextTaylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged. Turn it into a news literacy lesson. Celebrity news can be fun, but it's also a great way to teach students how to separate fact from rumor.

Text above screenshot from social media post of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announcing their engagement that includes two hands clasping, showing a ring on Swift's finger. Text Head straight to the source Don't rely on memes or gossip accounts. Go directly to the celebrity's verified social media page to see if they have confirmed the news or shared an update. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce shared the news in a carousel on Instagram.

Screenshot showing links to news stories about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement. Text Do a keyword search. Check multiple sources. Look at how reputable news organizations are covering the story. ARe they all reporting that it's true? How did they confirm the news? Remember: If it's truly big news, reputable sources will report it. If you're only seeing it on social media, there's a good chance it's just a viral rumor. Comparing coverage can save you from spreading misinformation.

Text around a screenshot showing an AI summary on Google from just after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement that incorrectly stats Taylor Swift is not engaged. Text AI summaries aren't always accurateWhen Swift's engagement news first broke, a quick Google search brought up an AI-generated summary stating the news was misinformation. AI summaries don't always capture the latest facts (or are just wrong), especially with fast-moving stories. Read past any AI explanations and go straight to sources you trust.

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Aug 25

Wherein I take any and every opportunity to talk about this movie👇🎤

P.S. Even if the original tweet was just trolling for engagement, the challenge remains of how we engage with and view original artistry in the age of AI.
P.P.S. The singalong this weekend was v fun and v joyful.

News Literacy Project @newslit.org · Aug 22

🎶 KPop Demon Hunters presents the perfect lesson in media literacy.

🎞 NLP's @hannahcov.bsky.social explains how AI is causing cynicism of authentic content, such as the music from the highly popular animated urban fantasy film.

#KpopDemonHunters #MediaLiteracy

KPop Demon Hunters presents the perfect lesson in media literacy. NLP's Hannah Covington explains how artificial intelligence is causing cynicism of authentic content, such as the music from the highl...

TikTok video by News Literacy Project

www.tiktok.com

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Aug 18

Rather than hunt for visual clues of authenticity, consider the source. My colleague Dan Evon has been saying this for two years now: Sure, you can see if the hands/fingers/text look weird, but even better is considering who shared the image/video in the first place. www.tiktok.com/@newslitproj...

Misshapen or oddly-formed fingers are a sign that an image was made by AI, but it's even better if those fingers point you to a source. Here's a simple #misinfo #tip to spot these #ai creations.

TikTok video by News Literacy Project

www.tiktok.com

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Aug 18

As @shiraovide.bsky.social points out, we all tend to believe things that scare us, delight us or affirm what we already think is true. Just recognizing this vulnerability is a good first step.

We've got a whole infographic on these cognitive biases with some good tips newslit.org/educators/re...

In brief: Confirmation bias and motivated reasoning

People generally feel that their opinions are rational and carefully considered. But in reality, we are all vulnerable to an array of cognitive biases that distort our understanding of the world aroun...

newslit.org

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Aug 18

"LOL, you can't" may seem cavalier, but it drives home an important point: AI tools are getting better all the time and can even fool professionals.

So, what can you do? A few thoughts with some resources 👇

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Analysis | How to spot an AI video? LOL, you can’t.

It’s time to stop trying to be AI detectives. We need a different approach to a world awash in realistic AI.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Aug 8

Devastated to report I fell for this. 🐰

News Literacy Project @newslit.org · Aug 1

Yes, you should use #NewsLiteracy skills to examine cute animal videos like bunnies on trampolines. Sharing these pieces of engagement bait only further pollutes the information landscape. @404media.co article ⤵️

AI Bunnies on Trampoline Causing Crisis of Confidence on TikTok

People failing to identify a video of adorable bunnies as AI slop has sparked worries that many more people could fall for online scams.

www.404media.co

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

News Literacy Project @newslit.org · Jun 20

“I feel like this is one way we can help our students — & help ourselves, to be frank — with figuring out what is real & what is not.” - Library media specialist Melinda Gallagher about #NewsLiteracy

@hannahcov.bsky.social 's piece for @the74.bsky.social ⤵️

zurl.co/cEKpr

I Talked to Teenagers About Conspiracy Theories. Here’s What They Told Me

Covington: For students who watched the viral social media response to a classmate’s death, news literacy is key.

zurl.co

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

News Literacy Project @newslit.org · Jun 17

NLP's @hannahcov.bsky.social spoke with 12 high school students about news habits & what it’s like trying to find credible info online.

Said Kelsey Perry, 18, of seeing conspiracy theories everywhere: “It gets to the point where it’s kind of hard not to believe some of them."

@the74.bsky.social

I Talked to Teenagers About Conspiracy Theories, Here’s What They Told Me

Covington: For students who watched the viral social media response to a classmate’s death, news literacy is key.

www.the74million.org

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Jun 17

4/4 They want help making sense of it all. Our national survey found an overwhelming majority of teens (94%) want media literacy instruction, but most aren’t getting it.

Young people didn't ask for this online mess, and we owe it to them to show how to navigate it with thought and care. Full story⬇️

I Talked to Teenagers About Conspiracy Theories, Here’s What They Told Me

Covington: For students who watched the viral social media response to a classmate’s death, news literacy is key.

www.the74million.org

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Jun 17

3/4 A lot of teenagers (8 in 10!) are encountering conspiracy theories. Students told me they find this content entertaining and silly. But what starts out as a joke can become something more.

“It gets to the point where it’s kind of hard not to believe some of them,” said Kelsey Perry, 18.

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Jun 17

2/4 At Owasso High School, the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict last year put this community at the center of viral rumors and hate. For some students, it also marked a turning point in how they think about verifying information online.

An excerpt of a news article where one student describes how their classmate's death and the online rumors that followed made them rethink their perception of influencers and how to know whether online information is credible.

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Jun 17

1/4 *taps mic*

My byline is back for the first time in many moons. I wrote about teenagers, conspiracy theories and what it was like when social media rumors became personal and painful at an Oklahoma high school.

🧵with the some takeaways:
www.the74million.org/article/i-ta...

I Talked to Teenagers About Conspiracy Theories, Here’s What They Told Me

Covington: For students who watched the viral social media response to a classmate’s death, news literacy is key.

www.the74million.org

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

Reuters Institute @reutersinstitute.bsky.social · Jun 17

Good morning, America!

Our Digital News Report 2025 is out

📊48 markets
🌏Almost 100K respondents
📰Key headline: Audiences lean into video news and influencers, raising misinformation concerns and new dilemmas for publishers

📱Explore now buff.ly/xLP67Tg
🧵Findings in thread #DNR25

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

Craig Silverman @craigsilverman.bsky.social · May 27

The Wayback Machine is an indispensable tool for archiving web content. It's also a powerful search engine that can dig up deleted webpages and social media posts.

Here's the Indicator guide to getting the most out of the Wayback machine: indicator.media/p/ge...

Getting the most out of the Wayback Machine

Tips for the Wayback Machine browser extension, API, and more!

indicator.media

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

Pew Research Center @pewresearch.org · Apr 25

Seven-in-ten Americans are at least somewhat concerned about potential restrictions on press freedom. This includes 43% who say they are extremely or very concerned.  These numbers are almost identical to the findings of an April 2024 survey. www.pewresearch.org/...

Americans remain concerned about press freedoms, but partisan views have flipped since 2024

A majority of Democrats (60%) are highly concerned about press freedoms – about double the share of Republicans (28%).

www.pewresearch.org

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

Peter Adams @peteradams.bsky.social · Mar 11

Reminder: teaching #newsliteracy #medialiteracy effectively means spotlighting positive examples of quality journalism *at least as often* as focusing on coverage you think is problematic.

Excellent example of the impact of the watchdog role & the importance of a free press to democracy here 👇

ProPublica @propublica.org · Mar 10

NEW: The proposed legislation addresses nearly all of the issues raised in an investigation by @ctmirror.org and ProPublica.

“This is awesome. It’s great news,” one resident said. “I wouldn’t have lost my car, and now maybe others won’t either.”

By @ginnymonk.bsky.social and Dave Altimari

Connecticut Lawmakers Seek Overhaul of Towing Laws

A new bill addresses nearly all of the issues raised in a Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica investigation that found people’s cars were being sold shortly after they were towed.

propub.li

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Reposted by Hannah Covington

News Literacy Project @newslit.org · Feb 3

📢 National #NewsLiteracyWeek in partnership with @ewscrippsco.bsky.social & @usatoday.com begins TODAY!

✨ Whether you're an educator or not, you can make a difference in young people's lives by empowering them to identify credible information.

🔗 Get involved & share: newsliteracyweek.org

A cutout shows a teen looking at their phone. Text bubble alongside read:
- Teens are navigating the most complex information landscape in history.
- News literacy can help them learn to identify credible information

NATIONAL NEWS LITERACY WEEK
Presented by News Literacy Project, the E.W. Scripps Company and USA Today
Feb. 3-7, 2025
For a future founded on facts, visit NewsLiteracyWeek.org

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Jan 28

These text scams have really leveled up to Dickens-level pathos

A text reads “Dad? When are you coming back with the milk? It’s been 4 months…”

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Jan 14

I'm a big believer that news orgs should make these types of pages *easy* for readers to find and access.

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Hannah Covington @hannahcov.bsky.social · Jan 14

Recently visited a high school student newspaper staff and talked about the importance of journalism standards. We discussed how standards separate their work from so much else online. I encouraged them to publish a code of ethics as a staff. Went back last week, and they did! 🥹

The words "Owasso Rampage Code of Ethics" sit on a webpage that includes a starry night sky background with pine trees.

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