One of the dominant themes in The Influencing Machine is that we, as consumers, must take responsibility for the state of today's media landscape. As more of us participate in not just the consumption

One of the dominant themes in The Influencing Machine is that we, as consumers, must take responsibility for the state of today's media landscape. As more of us participate in not just the consumption, but also the production of news, a vital concern emerges: what choices can we make about information, influence and interpretation?

In class, we have discussed how news media balance what people want to know about, what they need to know about, and what they should know about. We've also started to consider how what is considered "news" has changed in our times. As a follow up, I'd like you to explore some resources that can help you become a more informed citizen and apply critical thinking to today's complex media environment.

Here are a list of suggested resources:

AllSides Media Bias Ratings (https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-ratings)

Politifact Truth-o-Meter (https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/)

FactCheck (https://www.factcheck.org)

Mind over Media: Contemporary Propaganda (https://propaganda.mediaeducationlab.com)

In your post, share with your fellow students something interesting and important that you learned. In addition, I'd like you to suggest an action item: a step that we together could take in order to improve our own media literacy. In other words, I'd like you to look at these resources, then suggest a practical way that one of them (or an idea that you found) can be put to use as a practical strategy.

Your post is due Sunday, April 26 by the end of the day; your comment is due by the end of the next day.