ROCKFORD, Mich. — This week marks National News Literacy Week and once again our parent company Scripps is teaming up with the News Literacy Project to help people of all ages identify credible news and other information.
A 2019 Stanford study found that 96% of high school students failed to challenge the credibility of an unreliable source.
So we caught up with students at Rockford High School where they have their own broadcast journalism program, ‘Beyond the Rock’ that is already instilling these skills in their students so they can have a leg up on that statistic.
“We really fact check everything. We don't just find one thing and then just go with it. We are constantly checking for sources and to make sure that we keep our reputation strong,” says Hannah Butzer, Beyond the Rock, Associate producer.
Hannah Butzner is a Senior at Rockford High School and the Associate Producer of ‘Beyond the Rock’, who’s learning quickly now more than ever, it's important we discern fact from fiction.
And just as important as getting facts straight for a story, instructor Kris DeYoung is teaching students to make sure their stories are balanced.
“There's always two sides, three sides, four sides to every story and listening to that, and then presenting with objectivity,” says Kris DeYoung, Classroom Instructor, Beyond the Rock
During this pandemic the students have not only produced weekly newscasts and live streamed sports and board meetings but also made videos on Covid guidelines for the district to watch.
