A Growing Sector of the U.S. Population Cannot Distinguish Fact from Fiction

The McCormick Foundation's "Why News Matters" Project aims to promote news literacy

News provided by

Jun 12, 2014, 11:15 ET

CHICAGO, June 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's 24/7 news cycle, journalists must often decide between breaking news quickly versus accurately. At the same time, any user online has the power to publish content, giving rise to blogs and satire as popular forms of media. Closely tied to information overload and the preponderance of content types online today, research coordinated by the Robert M. McCormick Foundation finds that an increasing number of consumers are unable to identify fact from fiction, opinion or propaganda.

Robert R. McCormick Foundation logo. (PRNewsFoto/Robert R. McCormick Foundation)

Phil Zepeda, Director of Communications at the Robert M. McCormick Foundation, discusses how the organization plans to promote news literacy through the "Why News Matter Project" in his latest blog post.

ABOUT THE ROBERT R. MCCORMICK FOUNDATION

The Robert R. McCormick Foundation is committed to fostering communities of educated, informed and engaged citizens. Through philanthropic programs, Cantigny Park and museums, the Foundation helps develop citizen leaders and works to make life better in our communities. The Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The Robert R. McCormick Foundation is one of the nation's largest foundations, with more than $1.5 billion in assets. For more information, please visit www.McCormickFoundation.org, follow us on Twitter, and "Like" us on Facebook.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140610/116798

SOURCE Robert R. McCormick Foundation