Media Literacy Vocabulary

noun a particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling, or opinion, especially one that is preconceived or unreasoned

verb to cause to have or show bias

• The study aimed to analyze the data without any bias towards a particular outcome.
• I think there's a bias in the way they grade our assignments.
• She's always showing favoritism, it's such a bias!
• His bias towards traditional values colors his perception of modern society.

noun a lack of trust or belief in someone or something, especially when this is caused by a difference between what is said and what is done

• The politician's credibility gap widened as more inconsistencies in his statements were uncovered.
• I can't trust what he says anymore, there's a huge credibility gap.
• That guy's credibility gap is off the charts, I wouldn't believe a word he says.
• The company's credibility gap with consumers is like a deep chasm that will be hard to bridge.

adjective easily convinced or too ready to believe things

• The credulous investors were easily swayed by the false promises of the fraudulent company.
• Don't be so credulous, always fact-check before believing everything you hear.
• I can't believe you fell for that scam, you're so credulous!
• Her credulous nature made her vulnerable to manipulation by those with ill intentions.

verb to publicly denounce or criticize something

• Many experts decry the government's lack of action on climate change.
• I heard some people decry the new policy at work.
• She's always decrying everything, it's so annoying.
• The artist's work subtly decry societal norms and expectations.

verb to express opinions or bias in a news article or editorial

• It is important for journalists to report the facts objectively and not editorialize.
• Just give me the facts, don't editorialize it.
• Stop adding your own opinions and editorializing everything.
• She tends to editorialize situations, always adding her own twist to things.

adverb Falsely is an adverb that describes how something is done in a false or incorrect manner.

• The witness was accused of falsely testifying under oath.
• He falsely claimed that he had never been to the party.
• She was talking falsely when she said she didn't know about the surprise.
• His smile was falsely cheerful, hiding his true feelings.

noun a sequence of images that create the illusion of motion when shown in rapid succession

• The moving picture industry has seen significant advancements in technology over the years.
• I love watching moving pictures on the big screen.
• Let's catch a flick, I'm in the mood for some moving pictures.
• His words painted a vivid moving picture of the events that transpired.

noun a word that functions as the name of a specific person, place, thing, or idea

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• The media blew the situation out of proportion with sensationalized headlines.
• Don't worry, it's just a small issue that got blown out of proportion.
• The gossip about them fighting got totally blown out of proportion.
• Her anger was so intense, it felt like it was growing out of proportion with each passing minute.

noun the act of lying or deviating from the truth

• The politician's prevarication on the issue only served to further erode public trust.
• Stop with the prevarication and just tell us the truth already!
• I can't stand his constant prevarication - just be straight with us!
• Her prevarication was like a tangled web of lies that eventually unraveled.

noun a word that functions as the name of a specific thing, person, or place

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence

• When reading scientific studies, it is important to take the results with a grain of salt.
• I heard that rumor about her, but I would take it with a grain of salt.
• Don't believe everything you hear about him, just take it with a grain of salt.
• His promises may sound good, but I always take them with a grain of salt.

adjective describing someone who lacks knowledge or information about a particular subject

• It is important to provide accurate information to prevent people from making decisions while uninformed.
• Don't spread rumors if you are uninformed about the situation.
• She's so uninformed about current events, it's embarrassing.
• Being uninformed is like walking in the dark without a flashlight.

noun a term used to describe the phenomenon of the diminishing role of facts and analysis in public life

• Truth decay is a phenomenon where the line between fact and fiction becomes increasingly blurred.
• Have you noticed the truth decay in the news lately? It's hard to know what to believe.
• I can't stand all the truth decay on social media. It's like everyone is making up their own version of reality.
• The truth decay in politics is like a virus spreading unchecked, infecting everything it touches.

noun a noun is a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this case, 'alternative fact' is a compound noun that combines 'alternative' and 'fact' to create a new concept.

adjective an adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun. In this case, 'alternative' is an adjective that describes the type of fact being presented.

• The concept of alternative facts has been a topic of debate in the field of journalism.
• I heard him trying to pass off that as an alternative fact, but we all knew the truth.
• She's just spewing alternative facts to cover up her mistakes.
• His argument was built on a foundation of alternative facts, leading to a flawed conclusion.

noun a situation in which feelings and personal beliefs have more influence on public opinion than facts and evidence

• The concept of post-truth politics has become a major topic of discussion in academic circles.
• People seem to be more inclined towards believing in post-truth narratives these days.
• I can't deal with all this post-truth nonsense going around.
• In a world filled with post-truth, it's hard to distinguish between fact and fiction.