Per the knightfoundation.org poll 39% of Americans believe that news they see on TV, read in the papers, or hear on the radio is misinformative. Over 65% of readers believe the news they read on social media is misinformation or simply false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When younger, an older gentleman, shared with me some simple advice on how to handle news going on around me and to be careful how I react. The words he shared with me are words of advice that I carry with me today. \u201cBelieve nothing that you hear and only half of what you see.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet it appears today that most Americans do not heed this advice but rather take what is written in News Headlines or shared on the TV as factual and truthful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Misinformation is defined as \u201cthe deliberate creation and sharing of false and\/or manipulated information that is intended to deceive and mislead audiences, either for the purposes of causing harm, or for political, personal or financial gain.\u201d Yet mainstream media appears to be feeding into the frenzy of creating misinformation to fit a political agenda or further divide Americans into groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recent news headlines, like the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay Bill\u201d being passed in Florida, have riled up the LGBTQ community and others into believing there is a bill being passed by Florida legislature to ban schools and teachers from teaching lessons that discuss LGBTQ identities. Even President Joe Biden has made comments based on headlines calling the bill hateful and impacting on kids of the LGBTQ community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Florida bill being referred to as the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d bill is really called HB1557<\/a>. The bill is designed to put safeguards in place to restrict schools and teachers from discussing gender orientation with students in Primary Grade levels K-4 (sometimes up to grade 7 depending on the school district. Source: <\/strong>Organization of US Education ED.gov<\/a>). The bill states \u201cA school district may not encourage classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary grade levels or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.\u201d Many parents surveyed agree that discussing sexual orientation or body changes before 4th<\/sup> or 5th<\/sup> grade is too early for young individuals who are just learning who they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n