University of Utah offering classes to help voters navigate the upcoming election
Sep 19, 2024, 7:00 PM
FILE - The University of Utah campus is viewed from Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
SALT LAKE CITY — The University of Utah is offering classes to help voters navigate the 2024 election. One of those classes is “Beyond the Headlines: Fact-Checking and Media Literacy.”
Summer Pessatore, Communications Manager for Online Student Recruitment at the University of Utah, joined KSL at Night to share what the class is all about.
These election classes are being offered by the University of Utah’s Continuing Education department, specifically through Lifelong Learning.
“Their mission is to offer classes to the community and connect the community directly through the University of Utah,” said Pessatore. “This means that as long as you’re 18 or older, if you’re retired… it doesn’t matter. You can always come back and keep learning.”
What will these election classes teach?
The fact-checking and media literacy class will provide the resources necessary to navigate the information we consume on a regular basis.
One of the big concepts that students will learn is the difference between misinformation and disinformation. Pessatore said the difference lies in the intent.
“Misinformation is bad information given without malicious intent… Disinformation, on the other hand, is purposely giving bad information to cause harm or to manipulate whoever it is that’s consuming this information.”
In addition to that, students will learn how to fact-check, use sources like Wikipedia responsibly, and do a reverse image search.
Pessatore said this class will also help people recognize and deal with negative emotions surrounding political news. She said if you see an article that presses you, source it and think about whether it’s actually worth sharing.
