New Jersey requires schools to teach media literacy

New Jersey will now require schools to educate students in grades K-12 in "information literacy" so they may learn to identify misinformation.

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation this week to add the requirement to the state's Student Learning Standards, according to the Epoch Times. "Media literacy" is also featured as an included category.

Under the law, schools will be required to teach students on how best to perform research, to scrutinize biased materials, and about the process of creating such content. Discussion of ethical and social issues surrounding misinformation will also be required.

Though Democrats have been among the loudest voices expressing concerns about online "misinformation," the plan appears to have significant bipartisan support within the state legislature and its lead sponsor, state Sen. Michael Testa, is a Republican.

"The new standards will help develop young residents who can recognize false claims and have the skills to succeed in a web-driven world," Testa said, per the Times.

"Misinformation" has become a contentious issue in national politics, amid revelations that the federal government worked directly with social media platforms such as Twitter to falsely label as misinformation accurate material that contradicted Washington's narrative on COVID-19 and other issues, and attempted to stifle debate on such matters.