May 19, 2020

The Peace Corps Needs a Media Literacy Program

By Monika Bochert

Last month, a hoax circulated online that people wearing shoes indoors led to a spike in coronavirus cases in Italy. Worldwide, rapidly spreading misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 is negatively affecting people’s behaviors towards the virus. Action must be taken to curb the spread of false information on a global stage, and the Peace Corps has the capacity to do it.

Media literacy, or the ability to critically evaluate media, is an integral tool that can be used to combat false information online. Despite the need for this skill to discern COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation, there is no formal program geared toward teaching digital skills and media literacy internationally. We need to implement a program to stymie the spread of general misinformation and provide intellectual tools to help discern what is real and what is fake in order to protect public health, trust, and safety.

Read the full article in Inkstick.

More from CNAS

  • Commentary
    • The Hill
    • September 22, 2022
    Shift toward ‘Silicon Nation’ Promotes Resilience — for American Defense, Society and the Economy

    Better understanding by stakeholders of the national security and economic implications associated with robust S&T policies will drive additional incentives for pragmatic ...

    By Alexandra Seymour & Martijn Rasser

  • Reports
    • September 19, 2022
    Rewire: Semiconductors and U.S. Industrial Policy

    As the United States considers industrial policy for the first time in decades, it should learn lessons from prior government efforts to shape the semiconductor industry, in t...

    By Chris Miller

  • Video
    • September 13, 2022
    Martijn Rasser talks CHIPS Act with Newsy

    Martijn Rasser, Director of the Technology and National Security program at the Center for a New American Security, joins Newsy to discuss the CHIPS Act, Taiwan, and the semic...

  • Podcast
    • September 4, 2022
    AI and the Future of War

    AI safety is having a moment. To discuss why AI safety matters for national security, today China Talks have on Paul Scharre (@paulscharre), Vice President and Director of Stu...

    By Paul Scharre

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia