Did Media Literacy Backfire?

Anxious about... propaganda and fake news ... progressives are calling for an increased commitment to media literacy ... Others ... focus on expert fact-checking and labeling.  ... fail to take into consideration the cultural context ...
Understanding what sources to trust is a basic tenet of media literacy education... underlying assumption ... New York Times, scientific journal publications, and experts with advanced degrees are all highly trustworthy. Think about how this might play out in communities where the “liberal media” is viewed with disdain as an untrustworthy source of information…or in those where science is seen as contradicting the knowledge of religious ... degrees are viewed as a weapon of the elite to justify oppression of working people... not everyone agrees on what makes a trusted source.
We’ve been telling young people that they are the smartest snowflakes... and that they should trust their gut to make wise decisions... All they have to do is “do the research” for themselves.. If the media is reporting on something, and you don’t trust the media... If they expend tremendous effort bringing on “experts” to argue that something is false, there must be something there to investigate...
with fake news, as experts blame “stupid” people for not understanding what is “real.” ... condescending at best. More experts are needed to label fake content. More media literacy is needed to teach people how not to be duped. And if we just push Facebook ... all will be solved.... if you present them with data that contradicts their beliefs, they will double down on their beliefs rather than integrate the new knowledge ...
my assumptions and beliefs do not align with most Americans... as a scholar, I get to see how expert knowledge and information is produced and have a deep respect for the strengths and limitations of scientific inquiry.