My aunt passed away a few years ago, but before she died, she was the kind of person who believed every single thing she heard on conservative radio, and she regularly regurgitated Fox News talking points almost verbatim. It was… difficult. Even when I tried to fact-check in real time when she was mid-rant about Obummer getting secret money from Ghaddafi (or something?), it was like her brain stopped, crashed, then rebooted and she just kept believing the same thing Fox News told her. My point is that there are a lot of people who could use a primer in how to read and watch and listen to “news.” Angelina Jolie is just focusing on teaching those lessons to kids:
Angelina Jolie and the BBC want to give young viewers real tools to stop fake news, Jolie will executive produce “BBC My World,” a program that explains the stories behind news and offers facts and information that helps kids over the age of 13 make up their own minds on pressing international issues. The series will tap the reporting of the BBC World Service and is a co-production with Jolie and Microsoft Education. The BBC will retain final editorial approval of content in the series.
“As a parent I am happy to be able to give my support to a program that aims to help children learn more about the lives of other young people around the world, and connect to them to each other,” says Jolie in a prepared statement. “I hope it will help children find the information and tools they need to make a difference on the issues that matter to them, drawing on the BBC World Service’s network of thousands of journalists and multiple language services around the world.”
The weekly half-hour program will be broadcast via BBC World News, the organization’s most-watched channel. It will air each Sunday at 11:30 a.m. eastern, and its content will be shared with BBC’s 42 different language services. It will also be made available via a YouTube channel and the BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom. Producers see the show as a tool to help young audiences, who are allowed to roam on many social-media outlets, but come across all kinds of news content aimed at adults, yet have less of a grasp about how to distinguish content by levels of quality.
In my day – yes, I’m old – this was considered more of a lesson in government/civics starting in middle school and continuing through high school. There wasn’t one singular class on media-engagement and, like, media criticism or media ethics, but it was seen as more adjacent to discussions about history and politics and citizenship. But I like the idea of a stand-alone program, a tool for kids to get a better grasp of news and fake news and all of that. And yes, there should be something like that for adults too, because the old folks watching Fox News are not okay.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.
Doesn’t really matter on a huge scale for adults. There was this great study at Dartmouth where they took a bunch of people and gave them an article which the Dartmouth researchers had written about Trump. Basically everything in that article was fake. When the group was done reading and talking about it, the researchers were like, “lol this is totally fake, we made every word of it up.” But the group didn’t back down and accused the Dartmouth researchers of making the true statistics up. For a lot of people, regardless of the political sway, the first stuff you read on a subject cements itself into your brain and sometimes even with further research, it just sticks.
Great for kids though!
was it Mark Twain who said something like “it’s easier to fool someone than it is to convince them they’ve been fooled”?…
God, if that isn’t the truest thing I’ve heard in a long time…
That’s a study, not a course designed to teach people critical thinking. Those courses do work, and they’re prevalent in colleges across the USA. I have taken one myself.
I agree with her, especially the children of fake news believers. We seem to think that the older folks will die out, and a new generation of progressive thinkers will emerge, but this is not the case. Many of these kids are being fed the nonsense by their parents, and some won’t have the drive to do their own research so they can formulate their own opinions. With the state of the world right now, every little that is done to turn the tide towards progressivism and humanity is a win.
Indoctrination. It’s real, and not necessarily purposeful, but you’re absolutely correct that these kids grow up hearing this from parents, other relatives, even teachers. If they grow up in super red areas (like me), unless they’re somehow taught to be free thinkers, the willful ignorance just continues. For example, my 10 year old nephew will bring up his pro-Trump stance in a conversation that has nothing to do with that. Because he’s heard it from his parents. He doesn’t even really understand what any of it means, but it’s what he’s hearing every day.
what a great idea, I hope it works. and I hope the kids that watch help their parents discern fake news, too. because adults are WORSE than kids when it comes to living in news “bubbles”.
on a more superficial note, I CANNOT get over how gorgeous she looks in that top photo. and I know it’s a recent one. dumping 190 pounds did wonders for her health and happiness.
I hope it works too. I love your comment at the end!!! I loved her top photo, I forget how beautiful she is, she looked very happy.
LOL! I was going to add to my comment below … I know this is probably irrelevant and completely shallow on my part, BUT damm is she pretty!
Linda Ellerbee use to do this for Nickelodeon back before it was this juggernaut that it is now.
They need to bring that back ASAP !!!!
Wow, I’m impressed. Goodness knows this woman would know about the toxicity of fake news. It’s fantastic and very timely for her to take this on.
I’m a bit taken aback by it being BBC, though. Haven’t they participated in the pile on of the British tabloid press against Meghan and Harry?
On another note, I hope this news helps separate her in the public eye further from her toxic ex and his current games with Jennifer Aniston. Angelina’s not seething with rage at the mouth of some cave. She’s been busy and moving forward in the best possible way.
What a very specific and thoughtful endeavor.
As he mocks his ex wife and never mentions his kids, she continues her plans to help people. So glad she dropped all 170lbs of deadweight.
Deadweight is the correct term for someone like him and he is certainly toxic and fake. His Oscar campaign and just his behavior over the last two years have shown his true colors,
I have always thought he was a spineless untalented loser with a charming personality but he is a devil too. A say devil because he is a manipulating father of lies. He convinces people he is this loving man but too me he is arrogant, selfish and very spiteful. Both of his ex wives have told you his true colors and what is truthful out to me is insensitivity and fakeness. His unconcern of things that should be concerning is disgustingly disturbing. He hasn’t learned from all the scandal, gossip, therapy and AA meetings one damned thing.
He plays games with the media like he is a middle school child. He wants to drum that triangle for attention, Seems Aniston is game but Angie is like nah bro y’all can have that BS, I’m trying to raise your kids better.
I need there to be a new term for printed and/or televised lies. Our current term reminds, every time I hear it, of the current White House residents and their clueless flock.
Read this last night on CNET. It’s a very good initiative, kudos for Angie’s support. But hey Angie, why not help expand this project to ADULTS in the U.S.? Because I am acquainted with quite a few who believe every little thing they read on Breitbart.
This is great! She puts her money where her mouth is, always. Also, not the point of the story, but did she cut her hair? I love it!
I thought the same thing, if she cut her hair, it looks great.
This program seems really good, I hope it’s a success. We need more truth, because people are believing way too much garbage these days and it’s destroying so much.
Imagine if she and Meghan partnered up, I love both ladies.
why am I reminded of a Beyoncé song here? WHO RUN THE WORLD? 😉
This is absolutely what is needed right now. 6th graders in some of the better public ed curriculums get a short chapter in fact v fiction. IMO it barely scratches the surface of what’s happening. I really look forward to seeing this and sharing widely. Jolie impresses me for her years humanitarian service and seemingly good parenting. Her career is not too shabby either.
Our amazing Angie is doing something else positive for kids. Way to go Angie.
Good for Ange. Recent elections in the US and UK show that adults need this too
Amen, GUESTONE.
Not at all the point, but the dress in the bottom photo is gorgeous.
And the top photo- so lovely to see her smiling!
And, the program sounds like a force of good in the world. Big or small, we need as many of those as we can get.
Study after study has shown that young people do not fall for fake news nearly as much as older people. It doesn’t matter which way a young person leans politically, they can spot the fake stuff pretty easily. Fake news is a *huge* problem among the older generation, so they should be the target of unlearning campaigns. I admire Angelina’s initiative, and I believe schools should be teaching media literacy as my generation was once taught word processing, but I don’t think this will make a huge difference because in general, kids aren’t the ones struggling with fake news.
When i was young, we visited our southern relatives and my uncle got me with that bullshit about how the civil war wasn’t about slavery, it was about the economy. And I parroted that for a short time. And to this day, at 47, i am still ANGRY at myself, that that bullshit pretending racism is not a thing- came out of my mouth. Even if i was only 8 or 10 at the time.
That’s not exactly the same thing as “fake news” though. Fake news is a specific phenomenon in new media, it’s essentially the latest evolution of propaganda. Propaganda used to be puppet shows in the town square, now it’s social media posts. The Civil War thing is straight up misinformation. Part of media literacy is recognizing propaganda versus misinformation. There is certainly overlap, but fake news is what Fox News does, and the Civil War thing is a century long effort to rewrite history.
This is wonderful and on a superficial note, in the header photo I thought she had a lob and now I really want her to get a lob. It would really suit her face.
I agree! Faux or not, that lob is a great look on her.
The differences between The news cycles regarding Angie and her ex are striking are they not?
And superficially, my god that first picture.
Love this idea for a show.
But I miss Angie, and I miss Angie with Brad, sad that it didnt last..
Hopefully some parents and grandparents will watch too!
It’s the 70 plus crowd in my life who seem the most duped by fake news and propaganda.
We need this for adults too. Beautiful idea. Hope he lasts and more importantly works out.
AJ never ceases to impress. She is perfection! A great initiative and she is sooooo magically beautiful.
@Jane, I agree.
This is such a horrifically shallow question on a post about an important topic. So please forgive me! But, does anyone know when that top picture is from? She seems so incredibly happy and alive, I’m hoping it’s recent.
The pic was taken at a NATO conference in Belgium (2018) where she spoke to the UN about fighting against wartime rape.
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/world/641874/angelina-jolie-urges-nato-to-tackle-sexual-violence-in-war/story/
Can’t admire this women any more. Keeps surprising us. While deadbeat ex is busy chasing his image.
Thanks Kaiser for this post. I hope and pray people continue to do things like this. Yes we have older people who teach and instill lies and BS to young people but kids are intelligent now.
The amount of fake news and propaganda that targets them on social media is dangerously sad. Even the gossips should be thrown in the mix. The amount of fake gossip clips on YT and Twitter is disturbing, Your own political powers used it to win an election for Gods sake.
The tv show along with the whole My World project that is partnered with Microsoft is the most positive thing I’ve read in a long time about this matter. Again thanks and I’m always proud and impress with Angie.
FYI I think her father Jon should be the first ti watch because whatever Trump has brainwashed him with maybe he can see things differently.
My mother is the same as your aunt. I have talked for hours at a time to her, over years, and it makes no difference. She is so rigid. (We have a good relationship otherwise.)
I wish I knew what to say or do. I can’t stop her from consuming right-wing fundamentalist Christian media though, and that may be the key.
Angelina Jolie is first and foremost a woman of substance. Great admiration for her intellect and her actions in a toxic industry.