Classifying information is an essential component of media literacy because when you’re able to classify information, it helps to understand why the piece was made, what its purpose is, and if it can be reliable. In this section of our site, we unpack how to tell Fact from Opinion, help you identify fallacious reasoning, and provide you with additional tools and resources as you become a more critical consumer.
How to Identify Types of Information
In our class, we identified six purposes of information: to entertain, sell, document, provoke, persuade and inform. We learned a lot about these information zones through Checkology.org, a great resource for learning about media, but we have summarized each for you below. If you know why something was made, it can help you determine if it is a useful and reliable source.
Entertainment: media where the overall goal is to amuse the general public.
Entertainment is usually the easiest form of media to identify, simply if you find it comical or funny. At times, it’s mostly difficult to see if media is entertainment if you only look at the thumbnail, but if you watch or read it, then you can definitely identify it. Some examples of media that is supposed to entertain would be YouTube/TV shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Grey’s Anatomy. You can find entertaining media on TV and YouTube.
Entertainment is usually the easiest form of media to identify, simply if you find it comical or funny. At times, it’s mostly difficult to see if media is entertainment if you only look at the thumbnail, but if you watch or read it, then you can definitely identify it. Some examples of media that is supposed to entertain would be YouTube/TV shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Grey’s Anatomy. You can find entertaining media on TV and YouTube.
To Sell: media that is trying to get you to buy something, usually a product.
It is NOT the same as trying to get someone to buy an opinion. If there is anything about money or saving money on a product, it is usually trying to sell you something. If anywhere at all it says “sponsored content” it will be to sell. While ads can sometimes be entertaining, if their overall goal is to get you to buy or endorse something it is to sell. Some examples of media that is supposed to sell can be ads that promote companies like Amazon, eBay, or Best Buy on websites.
It is NOT the same as trying to get someone to buy an opinion. If there is anything about money or saving money on a product, it is usually trying to sell you something. If anywhere at all it says “sponsored content” it will be to sell. While ads can sometimes be entertaining, if their overall goal is to get you to buy or endorse something it is to sell. Some examples of media that is supposed to sell can be ads that promote companies like Amazon, eBay, or Best Buy on websites.
To Document: media that is documenting an event that is happening.
It is different from a piece of media that is trying to inform you. A document piece just shows you what is happening, while a informative piece goes deeper to teach you about everything that is going on in a situation. Statistics and numbers can be to document, but you have to make sure that they are contextualized, you know where they derive from, and that they aren’t being tampered and persuaded to one side. Some examples of media that is supposed to document might be videos that are found attached to informational articles or shown on news channels.
It is different from a piece of media that is trying to inform you. A document piece just shows you what is happening, while a informative piece goes deeper to teach you about everything that is going on in a situation. Statistics and numbers can be to document, but you have to make sure that they are contextualized, you know where they derive from, and that they aren’t being tampered and persuaded to one side. Some examples of media that is supposed to document might be videos that are found attached to informational articles or shown on news channels.
To Provoke: media that is trying to get a reaction out of you, like shock or anger, or make you think about the topic mentioned.
The usual emotions that they are aiming to get you to feel are anger or fear so that you can act upon what they are showing you. Provocative pieces can use distorted facts to get a reaction out of you. This can make them unreliable most of the time. Some examples of media that is supposed to provoke can sometimes be memes, and some articles. It is harder to find exactly where to find a piece that is to provoke because they will most likely not identify themselves as a provocative piece, but some examples include memes and articles on biased web sites like Breitbart and Natural News.
The usual emotions that they are aiming to get you to feel are anger or fear so that you can act upon what they are showing you. Provocative pieces can use distorted facts to get a reaction out of you. This can make them unreliable most of the time. Some examples of media that is supposed to provoke can sometimes be memes, and some articles. It is harder to find exactly where to find a piece that is to provoke because they will most likely not identify themselves as a provocative piece, but some examples include memes and articles on biased web sites like Breitbart and Natural News.
To Persuade: media that will try to get you to see the writer’s own opinion.
When trying to persuade, they will usually voice their own opinion. If a piece is put into a section labeled opinion, it is persuasive. Persuasive pieces can be reliable if the article avoids fallacious logic, and you keep in mind that it is trying to persuade you to see one side. Some examples of media that is supposed to persuade can be found in the opinion sections of websites such as The New York Times, CNN, and the Huffington Post.
When trying to persuade, they will usually voice their own opinion. If a piece is put into a section labeled opinion, it is persuasive. Persuasive pieces can be reliable if the article avoids fallacious logic, and you keep in mind that it is trying to persuade you to see one side. Some examples of media that is supposed to persuade can be found in the opinion sections of websites such as The New York Times, CNN, and the Huffington Post.
To inform: when media just states facts about the topic without adding personal input.
Informative pieces will have an in depth explanation of a situation or issue. They tend to have views from both sides of an argument, if there is an argument. Informative pieces can have different sides inputs and opinions, but they cannot have the author’s own opinion about the situation.Some examples of media that is supposed to inform would be documentaries on places like the Smithsonian Channel, Discovery Channel and PBS. You can find informational media on the Internet, TV, like the New York Times, or the Washington Post (but they both have opinion articles that are labeled as such).
Informative pieces will have an in depth explanation of a situation or issue. They tend to have views from both sides of an argument, if there is an argument. Informative pieces can have different sides inputs and opinions, but they cannot have the author’s own opinion about the situation.Some examples of media that is supposed to inform would be documentaries on places like the Smithsonian Channel, Discovery Channel and PBS. You can find informational media on the Internet, TV, like the New York Times, or the Washington Post (but they both have opinion articles that are labeled as such).