Name: Can you spot the lies in your news feed?
Uploaded: 2026-10-23T14:52:25Z
Duration: 11 min 24 s
Description: Laura Smythe spent years in legacy newsrooms, and she thinks the habits journalists use to vet information should belong to all of us. Using Fyre Festival as a cautionary tale, she explains why media literacy is a vital skill in our age of deepfakes and algorithmic feeds — and describes the country that’s already found a way to start teaching it in elementary school.

Laura Smythe spent years in legacy newsrooms, and she thinks the habits journalists use to vet information should belong to all of us. Using Fyre Festival as a cautionary tale, she explains why media literacy is a vital skill in our age of deepfakes and algorithmic feeds — and describes the country that’s already found a way to start teaching it in elementary school.

Can you spot the lies in your news feed?

Media literacy has become essential as social media and AI shape what information people see and trust. The Fyre Festival fiasco, where thousands believed a glamorous story and lost thousands of dollars, shows how easily curated content can mislead. While journalists use specialized techniques to verify the truth, these skills are rarely taught beyond the newsroom. Countries like Finland have made media literacy a core part of education, helping citizens spot misinformation and think critically in a world flooded with content.

Media Literacy, Not Just Newsrooms, Protects Democracy

The implosion of Fyre Festival showed how easily trust can be manipulated by curated images and influencer hype. In a world where 86 percent of Gen Z get news from social media, the lack of media literacy leaves society vulnerable to misinformation and deepfakes. Some countries like Finland now teach critical news skills from kindergarten, helping citizens spot bias and propaganda early. The ability to question, verify, and think independently is becoming one of democracy’s most essential skills.