What do you think?
Rate this book
Teaching News Literacy in the Age of AI: A Cross-Curricular Approach
Get the tools and strategies you need to help students understand why news matters and how to navigate the journalism landscape in the age of AI, misinformation and conspiratorial thinking.
News literacy is critical to understanding the role that information and a free press play in our lives, and to maintaining a robust democracy. However, effective news literacy education resources at the K-12 level are hard to find. This book fills the gap, offering a civic-minded and globally oriented perspective to help teachers integrate news literacy across curriculum areas to guide students in learning about the importance of journalism in a democracy and in our world.
Through practical tools, resources and lesson plan ideas, the book helps educators foster the skills students need to become discerning consumers and creative producers of news. Educators will develop strategies for sparking meaningful classroom discussions that empower students to evaluate, interpret and synthesize information, pushing students beyond the concept of “fake news” to become expert critical thinkers and content creators.
This book includes:
• Guidance in every chapter on how to address news literacy in the context of AI.
• A menu of resources for further exploration, such as podcasts, videos and digital tools, in each chapter.
• Guiding and reflection questions, with a link to an online Padlet for real-time sharing.
• An Action Plan Template to help teachers integrate news literacy in classrooms and learning spaces.
• An introduction to tools such as the News Literacy Project’s Framework for Teaching News Literacy and the MediaWise Teen Fact-Checking Network.
The cross-disciplinary approach of this book gives readers knowledge and resources to help students navigate today’s news and media landscape as expert chroniclers, curators and content creators.
Audience: Elementary and secondary classroom teachers, library media specialists
News literacy is critical to understanding the role that information and a free press play in our lives, and to maintaining a robust democracy. However, effective news literacy education resources at the K-12 level are hard to find. This book fills the gap, offering a civic-minded and globally oriented perspective to help teachers integrate news literacy across curriculum areas to guide students in learning about the importance of journalism in a democracy and in our world.
Through practical tools, resources and lesson plan ideas, the book helps educators foster the skills students need to become discerning consumers and creative producers of news. Educators will develop strategies for sparking meaningful classroom discussions that empower students to evaluate, interpret and synthesize information, pushing students beyond the concept of “fake news” to become expert critical thinkers and content creators.
This book includes:
• Guidance in every chapter on how to address news literacy in the context of AI.
• A menu of resources for further exploration, such as podcasts, videos and digital tools, in each chapter.
• Guiding and reflection questions, with a link to an online Padlet for real-time sharing.
• An Action Plan Template to help teachers integrate news literacy in classrooms and learning spaces.
• An introduction to tools such as the News Literacy Project’s Framework for Teaching News Literacy and the MediaWise Teen Fact-Checking Network.
The cross-disciplinary approach of this book gives readers knowledge and resources to help students navigate today’s news and media landscape as expert chroniclers, curators and content creators.
Audience: Elementary and secondary classroom teachers, library media specialists
140 pages, Paperback
First published January 16, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 11, 2026
Interesting book, explains clearly the definition of modern terms in the digital world and why they matter. Covers the role journalism and the issues with Ai-generated content and misinformation.
The book is a helpful tool for educators and its aim is to teach children and young people news/media literacy in a world of AI. Lots of helpful lesson ideas and activities too. I enjoyed reading this and would recommend to anyone who wants to help children navigate the age of AI, I also found it helpful as an adult.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book.
The book is a helpful tool for educators and its aim is to teach children and young people news/media literacy in a world of AI. Lots of helpful lesson ideas and activities too. I enjoyed reading this and would recommend to anyone who wants to help children navigate the age of AI, I also found it helpful as an adult.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book.
April 13, 2026
Teaching News Literacy in the Age of AI: A Cross-Curricular Approach by Cathy Collins is a practical, engaging resource for K–12 educators. The activities are flexible and easily adaptable across age groups. I found myself considering how many could translate directly into my own instruction.
As an academic librarian working with college students, I see firsthand how critical early exposure to news and media literacy can be. Many students arrive navigating a complex information landscape without a strong foundation in how news is produced, framed, and evaluated. This reflects the complexity of today’s information environment and the pace at which it continues to evolve.
One of the strengths of this book is its emphasis on developing students as lifelong learners. Collins encourages educators to start with how students already engage with news, especially through social media, and build from those habits rather than dismiss them. I especially appreciated the discussion of citizen journalism and the responsibilities that come with reporting and sharing information. Framing students not just as consumers, but as participants in the information ecosystem, is an empowering approach that resonates strongly with today’s learners.
I also found the chapter on emerging careers in journalism, media, and AI particularly valuable. Students are already thinking about their futures, often through aspirational or economic lenses, and that can create pressure to perform or make premature decisions early on. Including this topic in a book for this audience serves as an important reminder that we need to be having these conversations with students earlier and more intentionally. It reinforces the idea that there is no single path to a successful career and that students benefit from seeing a range of possibilities. That kind of framing supports flexibility and resilience, which are essential as students navigate an uncertain and evolving future.
My main critique is the use of URLs to point to specific online resources, as these may become outdated over time. Even so, the underlying concepts and activities remain strong.
Overall, this is a valuable resource for educators looking to build news literacy in a way that is relevant, adaptable, and empowering. I would recommend this to the pre-service teachers I work with as a resource for developing curriculum that aligns with standards for digital and media literacy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4 stars
As an academic librarian working with college students, I see firsthand how critical early exposure to news and media literacy can be. Many students arrive navigating a complex information landscape without a strong foundation in how news is produced, framed, and evaluated. This reflects the complexity of today’s information environment and the pace at which it continues to evolve.
One of the strengths of this book is its emphasis on developing students as lifelong learners. Collins encourages educators to start with how students already engage with news, especially through social media, and build from those habits rather than dismiss them. I especially appreciated the discussion of citizen journalism and the responsibilities that come with reporting and sharing information. Framing students not just as consumers, but as participants in the information ecosystem, is an empowering approach that resonates strongly with today’s learners.
I also found the chapter on emerging careers in journalism, media, and AI particularly valuable. Students are already thinking about their futures, often through aspirational or economic lenses, and that can create pressure to perform or make premature decisions early on. Including this topic in a book for this audience serves as an important reminder that we need to be having these conversations with students earlier and more intentionally. It reinforces the idea that there is no single path to a successful career and that students benefit from seeing a range of possibilities. That kind of framing supports flexibility and resilience, which are essential as students navigate an uncertain and evolving future.
My main critique is the use of URLs to point to specific online resources, as these may become outdated over time. Even so, the underlying concepts and activities remain strong.
Overall, this is a valuable resource for educators looking to build news literacy in a way that is relevant, adaptable, and empowering. I would recommend this to the pre-service teachers I work with as a resource for developing curriculum that aligns with standards for digital and media literacy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4 stars
April 3, 2026
Teaching News Literacy in the Age of AI by Cathy Collins is a practical guide for helping young people make sense of the current information landscape. I picked this up because I am preparing to home educate my son and wanted a strong resource around which to teach news literacy, which I think is extremely important in this era of fake news and AI-generated content.
The book is clearly structured and easy to use. It moves from the foundations of what news literacy is and why it matters, to misinformation, bias, conspiratorial thinking, AI-generated content, and the role of journalism itself. The key focus is not on telling students what to think, but rather on teaching them how to question and evaluate information for themselves. The book contains lesson ideas, guiding questions, reflection prompts and practical activities that would make it a very useful classroom ressource. I liked that each topic includes suggestions for teaching both primary and secondary students as well as lots of links to exercises online (including hoax websites).
A recommended read for educators and parents looking for practical ways to teach media literacy and responsible engagement with news in the age of AI.
Thank you to NetGalley and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book is clearly structured and easy to use. It moves from the foundations of what news literacy is and why it matters, to misinformation, bias, conspiratorial thinking, AI-generated content, and the role of journalism itself. The key focus is not on telling students what to think, but rather on teaching them how to question and evaluate information for themselves. The book contains lesson ideas, guiding questions, reflection prompts and practical activities that would make it a very useful classroom ressource. I liked that each topic includes suggestions for teaching both primary and secondary students as well as lots of links to exercises online (including hoax websites).
A recommended read for educators and parents looking for practical ways to teach media literacy and responsible engagement with news in the age of AI.
Thank you to NetGalley and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 6, 2026
Current Hot Topic AI and Education
As educators in the time of AI becoming increasingly more prevalent, it is important to consider strategies to assist our students to think critically, verify sources, and engage with news media. The book includes not only suggested resources but activities that are grouped by academic level and aligned with ISTE standards as well as cross-curricula suggestions. I was particularly interested in possible applications for my High School English course and Newspaper Club. News literacy is a must have skill to navigate media outlets. This book is a good resource for any teacher.
Thanks @Netgalley and @Independent Book Publishers Association for the Advanced Digital Copy.
As educators in the time of AI becoming increasingly more prevalent, it is important to consider strategies to assist our students to think critically, verify sources, and engage with news media. The book includes not only suggested resources but activities that are grouped by academic level and aligned with ISTE standards as well as cross-curricula suggestions. I was particularly interested in possible applications for my High School English course and Newspaper Club. News literacy is a must have skill to navigate media outlets. This book is a good resource for any teacher.
Thanks @Netgalley and @Independent Book Publishers Association for the Advanced Digital Copy.
May 7, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book tackles the difficult reality teachers face in an AI-saturated world.
This book presents an excellent approach to teaching literacy and critical thinking in the age of artificial intelligence. Media literacy is not just about spotting obvious mistakes in AI-generated images. It is about understanding the purpose of an article, evaluating sources, and thinking critically about the message being presented. These skills will become increasingly important moving forward.
No matter a teacher’s stance on artificial intelligence, they will have to teach about it, work around it, and interact with it in some capacity. This is a must-read for educators.
This book presents an excellent approach to teaching literacy and critical thinking in the age of artificial intelligence. Media literacy is not just about spotting obvious mistakes in AI-generated images. It is about understanding the purpose of an article, evaluating sources, and thinking critically about the message being presented. These skills will become increasingly important moving forward.
No matter a teacher’s stance on artificial intelligence, they will have to teach about it, work around it, and interact with it in some capacity. This is a must-read for educators.
May 5, 2026
Great and timely book. It is crucial for students needing to develop media literacy while AI is telling us what we should believe, and what we should think is important.
Collins uses her educator and librarian experience to provide lesson plans and solid direction about helping students learn to determine what is real news and how to figure out for themselves what a trusted and reliable source is.
Five stars for meeting the needs of students without using a hidden political or social Agenda.
Collins uses her educator and librarian experience to provide lesson plans and solid direction about helping students learn to determine what is real news and how to figure out for themselves what a trusted and reliable source is.
Five stars for meeting the needs of students without using a hidden political or social Agenda.
April 23, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for providing this copy to me.
This was informative and helpful for a classroom teacher dealing with the influx of AI with both planning and student use.
This was informative and helpful for a classroom teacher dealing with the influx of AI with both planning and student use.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews