Can high school students check the veracity of information about COVID-19? A case study on critical media literacy in Brazilian ESL classes

Abstract

In a globalized world, critical media literacy is imperative when selecting the content we consume amid countless offers. Therefore, the purpose of this case study is to analyze which resources 3rd year high school students (16-17 years old) from an English as a Second Language class in Brazil use in the construction of authorial journalistic articles demystifying fake news about COVID-19 and if the interventions conducted previous to the task were helpful in their process of developing critical media literacy. To this end, firstly students analyzed news about COVID-19 from international websites; secondly, they discussed aspects of a video that circulated widely in WhatsApp chat groups; and, finally, they produced journalistic articles demystifying popular fake news about COVID-19 in Brazil. The findings suggest a great capacity of students to justify their perceptions about what is fact and what is fake once they were provoked to do so, showing the development of critical media literacy and news literacy through the arguments presented in their articles.