Coming of age in the era of ‘fake news’

‘Let’s get media lit(erate)!”

The punny slogan was my attempt to get students excited about fact-checking, current events and finding alternative sources to Wikipedia — a crowd-sourced platform anyone can edit.

That’s why I scribbled it on the front whiteboard inside Room 29 at Earl Grey School.

In response, a young member of the school’s press club declares I am “so cringe.”

“Guys, let’s not be mean to the person who could end our careers!” another boy says.

I laugh in the moment — but this interaction will stick with me long after dismissal on Tuesday afternoon.

It’s symbolic of a far bigger concern of mine: the alarming state of media literacy, including among pre-teens who remind me of younger versions of myself.

An 11-year-old Maggie Macintosh — who grew up in awe of the byline