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Ask Missouri lawmakers to support the Media Literacy & Critical Thinking Act
Email Subject:
Dear [Your Elected Official],

This legislation is up for reintroduction, I want to see action on them when they get reintroduced.

I'm writing to urge you to support HB 1513, the Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act.

Nowadays, our students' lives are shaped by social media algorithms that profit from outrage, complicated by sneaky stereotypes, and even hijacked by foreign misinformation campaigns. Too often, when we use media tools — from Tiktok to TV — we end up being used by them.

It's time to move beyond simple "digital citizenship" classes and help students learn to independently navigate the digital world. This bill would require 5-7 Missouri schools to pilot media literacy curricula from 2024-26, including topics like:

  • cyberbullying prevention & cyber safety practices
  • protections for freedom of speech online
  • skills for independently evaluating messages on online platforms
  • the significance of algorithms
  • the economic structure of the digital landscape

These are essential media literacy skills. Media literacy education will equip our youngest citizens with a politically-neutral toolkit so that they can form opinions and make choices without undue influence. By learning to spot red flags, seek out primary sources, and ask questions about the possible biases of sources, Missouri's next generation will grow up to be independent consumers of citizens, and informed future voters for the 21st century.

Thank you for your consideration.
[Your Name]
[Your City & State]
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Hi, how are you today? I am a constituent of Senator/Representative ____, and I'm calling to ask him/her to support HB 492, the Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act. Would you be able to pass a message on?

 

Great, thanks. The Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act would launch a media literacy education pilot program from 2024-26. The curricula developed in this program would lay the groundwork for Missouri students to learn to navigate cyberbullying, algorithms, misinformation, online protections for freedom of speech, and much more.

Media literacy is literacy for the 21st century, and I want to ensure that Missouri's next generation learns the skills they need for health, well-being, and full participation in economic and civic life. As a constituent, I believe that Senator/Representative shares these values and ask that he/she supports The Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Act.

Thank you for your time.

Summary
<p style="text-align: left;">​​This bill will launch a media literacy education pilot program from 2024-26, helping lay the groundwork for Missouri students to learn to navigate cyberbullying, algorithms, misinformation, and more. Media literacy is literacy for the 21st century. HB 492 ensures Missouri's next generation learns the skills they need for health, well-being, and full participation in economic and civic life.</p>
Who will receive your message?

Your State Senator(s) and State Representative

why sign?
  • Students are not learning how to make informed, reasoned decisions about how to use the information and tools at their disposal, or the ethics of those decisions.
  • If our children and our society are to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing global communications environment, media literacy skills when using social media platforms are imperative.
  • Our children are spending multiple hours a day with social media platforms, they need to understand the role they play in their economic structures and the importance of data and algorithms.
  • When information travels at the speed of light, students need digital forensics skills to determine what constitutes a valid message.