These 6 tips will help you spot misinformation online

I’ll never forget the moment the mob breached the walls of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

As a senior multimedia reporter with MediaWise, I was tracking misinformation about the insurrection as it unfolded. The year began with an existential threat to our democracy. And we wrap 2021 with a new COVID-19 variant.

Now, more than ever, we need digital media literacy education in the U.S. — to help teens understand the importance of sorting fact from fiction online; teach older Americans how to spot the fake images, memes and doctored videos that fueled the Jan. 6 insurrection and prolonged the coronavirus pandemic; and support Spanish-speakers, who are disproportionately targeted with misinformation.