Critical Thinking and the Media Critical thinking is a skill that enables us to evaluate information from our sources. Today, the majority of information we process comes from some types of media, including television, radio show, newspapers and the Internet. The relationship between critical thinking and the media is an important one, as it helps us to decipher what is true and what is not. Critical thinking helps us assess information that may be deliberately misleading so that an accurate conclusion can be made on a subject or issue.

The relationship between critical thinking and the media is strongly influenced by media literacy, which refers to being literate about forms of media and understanding how to watch and listen carefully and think critically. Critical thinking skills are necessary in today's media age in order...

It also includes a set of values: the pursuit of truth, fairness or open-mindedness, empathy, autonomy and self-criticism. "A strong sense critical thinker is one who strives to live in accordance with the values of critical thinking and who is able to think dialogically. A typical mass-media issue involves a blending of intellectual, affective and moral responses. Many issues carried in the media demand that we move back and forth between opposing points-of-view."
Questioning and challenging our media sources are key components to critical…