Is it news or social media gossip? A study by the News Literacy Project indicates that teens often don’t know the difference – which could explain why many teens think news is “fake.”

The study found that  teens often get their news from social media, such as Instagram and TikTok. And even if the source is from a real news outlet, they don’t always trust what they see or hear.

The study, “Biased, Boring and Bad,” shows that about half of American teens think the news media frequently engages in unethical practices such as making up quotes.

The nationally representative survey of more than 750 teens ages 13 to 18 years old conducted this spring found that:

• When asked what word best describes the news media, 84 percent used negative terms, such as “Fake,’’ “False’’ and “Lies.’’
• When asked what journalists do well, about 1 in 3 teens focused on the negatives, such as “Telling Lies,’’ “Reporting Fake News,’’ “Spreading misinformation’’ and “Gaslighting.’’
• Almost half of teens believe journalists frequently give advertisers special treatment, such as not writing negative stories about them.

“We are raising generations of kids who don’t trust the press, potentially because no one has taught them how credible newsrooms operate or how to distinguish between news and other kinds of information,’’ said Kim Bowman, co-author of the study.

The report says one solution is to encourage news literacy education in all grades because studies show that teens who are taught media literacy are most likely to trust the press.

Press Pass NYC, non-profit organization, encourages news literacy by supporting student-run newspapers, such as the Bronx River News, in public schools in New York City. Its founder, Lara Bergen. believes that student journalists who learn how to report accurately and fairly are better able to tell the difference between legitimate news organizations and AI-generated social media posts. https://presspassnyc.org/

Sophomore Kayla Corella has mixed views on the news. “The news is all right,’’ she said. “If I see something I know about and like then I will watch it. The news also can inform you about what happens in your area.’’