We are absolutely delighted to be included on the recent Kidcasts: News for Kids playlist, produced by the renowned School Library Journal (SLJ).
“These days, it can seem as if Americans consume news and information from completely different worlds, resulting in widespread distrust of what were once considered reliable sources. Librarians, educators, and parents have the responsibility of ensuring kids have tools for discerning credible information from disinformation,” the SLJ wrote in their article.
The prestigious US journal is the go-to publication for librarians and information specialists who work with children and teens. It’s been a quality source of information and reviews for more than 60 years, covering, according to their website, “literacy, best practices, technology, education policy and other issues of interest to the school library and greater educator community.”
This year has been particularly challenging – with a flurry of news and information flying fast on topics that impact us all – from the global pandemic to racial injustice – and not all of it from reliable sources. It is tough for adults, let alone children, to be able to discern, or understand, fact from fiction. In fact 96 percent of US high school students couldn’t tell authentic sources from spurious ones, according to a Stanford University study.
In SLJ’s annual podcast trendsetters review, in which Newsy Pooloozi was included, they acknowledged that it’s been a difficult year for those who consume news as well as those who make it.
The article states: “Children’s podcasting responded to the pandemic with episodes speaking to the moments children and families are experiencing, fortifying them with valuable information, and providing great storytelling, messages of empowerment, and off-screen learning. While adult podcast listening is down, with fewer people tuning in while commuting, children’s listening increased by 24 percent in March, and by August, one in four children were tuning in to podcasts.”
This Kidcasts: News for Kids playlist came out during the National News Literacy Week, which was January 25-29, 2021. The News Literacy Project is a US initiative that provides a range of resources to help educators, librarians, and children be able to discern, or understand, fact from fiction.
Thank you, SLJ, for recognizing our passion for getting kids fired-up about the news, which helps them become more empathetic people and better informed citizens of the word!
