WEEK

4 Media and Information Sources

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Good day, learners! Today, you will learn about different media and
information sources. You are expected to: demonstrate an ability to examine and
compare information from various sources in order to evaluate its reliability,
accuracy, authority, timeliness, and bias; determine the accuracy, reliability and
value of information by questioning the source of data, limitations of the
information gathering tools or strategies, and the rationale of the conclusions;
define indigenous media; and contrast indigenous media to the more common
sources of information such as library, internet, etc. Are you ready? Let’s go!

Learning Task 1: Revisit the news that you submitted in the previous lesson. Cite
the source of the news, your background about it and describe the type of
information that you got from the source. Answer the question that follows. Do
this in your notebook.

Newspaper : _____________________________________________________
Magazine : _____________________________________________________
Social media : _____________________________________________________
Television : _____________________________________________________
The Internet : _____________________________________________________

What similarities and differences have you noticed between the information
in each source?

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 Reliability of Information. Information is said to be reliable if it can be
verified and evaluated. It also refers to the trustworthiness of the source in
evaluating the reliability of information.
 Accuracy of Information. Accuracy refers to the closeness of the report to the
actual data. Measurement of accuracy varies, depending on the type of
information being evaluated. Forecasts are said to be accurate if the report is
similar to the actual data. Financial information is considered accurate if the
values are correct, properly classified, and presented
 Value of Information. Information is said to be of value if it aids the user in
making or improving decisions.
 Authority of the Source. Much of the information we gather daily do not come
from a primary source but are passed on through secondary sources such as
writers, reporters and the like. Sources with an established expertise on the
subject matter are considered as having sound authority on the subject.
 Timeliness. Reliability, accuracy and value of information may vary based on
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 the time it was produced or acquired. While a piece of information may have
been found accurate, reliable and valuable during the time it was produced, it
may become irrelevant and inaccurate with the passing of time (making it less
valuable). Other information may be timeless, proven to be the same in
reliability, accuracy and value throughout history.

Libraries

a. Types of libraries - Libraries are often classified in 4 groups, namely: academic,

public, school and special. These libraries may be either digital or physical in
form.

b. Skills in accessing information from libraries - Due to the wealth of information

in a library, it is important to know the following:
• the access tool to use
• how the information being accessed may be classified
• the depth of details required (i.e. some libraries provide only an abstract of the
topic)
• more detailed information requiring membership or some conformity to set
rules of the source (e.g. databases)

c. Characteristics of libraries in terms of reliability, accuracy and value

Libraries of published books are often considered highly reliable, accurate,

and valuable. Books and documents from dominant sources are often peer
reviewed. ISSN or ISBN registration ensures that standards were followed in
producing these materials.

The Internet

a. Information found on the internet

b. Characteristics of internet information in terms of reliability, accuracy, value,

timeliness and authority of the source

c. Realities of the Internet

d. Information found on the Internet may be quite varied in form and content.

Thus, it is more difficult to determine its reliability and accuracy. Accessing

information on the internet is easy but requires more discipline to check and
validate. Factual and fictitious data are often merged together. Sources always
have to be validated.

Skills in Determining the Reliability of Information

a. Check the author. The author’s willingness to be identified is a good indication

of reliability.
b. Check the date of publication or of update. While the information may be true,
it may not be reliable if it is outdated and may have lost relevance.
c. Check for citations. Reliable authors have the discipline of citing sources of
their information.

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d. Check the domain or owner of the site or page. The domains .edu and .gov are
reserved for academic institutions and the government, respectively.
Information from such sites are presented with caution and are usually
well-grounded. Site owners may have an agenda that affects the manner by
which information is presented.
e. Check the site design and the writing style. Credible sources take time to make
their information accessible and easy to comprehend.
Skills in Determining Accurate Information
a. Look for facts.
b. Cross-reference with other sources to check for consistency.
c. Determine the reason for writing and publishing the information. Check if the
author is objective or leaning heavily on a certain point of view.
d. Check for advertising. Advertisers may use related information to market their
product.
Alternative Media
a. Current popular alternative media
b. Rise of alternative media and information
c. Other alternative forms of communication and distribution have become
popular. These include social media, blogs and flash mob performances. These
alternative forms provide greater freedom and power to ordinary individuals and
are a quicker way of distributing information. The downside is that a lot of
information being passed around is biased and inaccurate.

Indigenous Media
• Indigenous means native, local, originating or produced naturally in a particular
region
• Indigenous knowledge is unique to a specific culture or society; it is not written
down.
 Indigenous communication is the transmission of information through local
channels or forms. It is a means by which culture is preserved, handed down
and adapted.

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 • Indigenous media and information refers to the original information created
by a local group of people. This also refers to content about indigenous peoples
that may be distributed through dominant forms of media or through forms of
communication unique to their people group.

Importance of Indigenous Media and Information

• Popular media cannot reach some rural areas. While print, broadcast and new
media have a wide reach, there are still areas that these forms of media have not
reached.

• Indigenous media and information are highly credible because they are near the
source and are seldom circulated for profit.

• Indigenous media are channels for change, education and development because
of its direct access to local channels.

• Ignoring indigenous media and information can result in development and

education programs that are irrelevant and ineffective.

• Forms of indigenous media and their local examples:

a. folk or traditional media
b. gatherings and social organizations
c. direct observation
d. records (may be written, carved or oral)
e. oral instruction

Learning Task 2: Go back to the controversial piece of news or issue you used at
the start of the lesson and fill out the table below. Do this in your notebook.

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Learning Task 3: Using a mind mapping tool, discuss the concepts of indigenous
media and information. Start by defining keywords and connect them to other
terms. If new related ideas come to mind, write them and draw lines connecting to
other sub-ideas.

Learning Task 4: Create a Venn diagram in your notebook comparing and

contrasting indigenous media to more common sources of information such as
library and internet.

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Learning Task 5: Interview your parents or elder siblings. Ask them the questions
below. Write their statements in your notebook.

1. What are your roles in the community?

2. What are the types of information you are responsible for, or the information
that you receive and pass on to the community?
3. How is the type of information that you handle helpful to the community?
4. In what ways does passing on this information help the community?
5. How do you know that the information you pass on is true?
6. What difficulties do you face in passing on this information to others?
7. Are these pieces of information available in popular media?

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 A
Learning Task 6: Write True if the statement is correct and False if it says
otherwise. Do this in your notebook.
_____1. Indigenous knowledge refers to knowledge that is unique to a specific
culture or society.
_____2. Information is said to be accurate if it aids the user in making or
improving decisions.
_____3. Libraries of published books are often considered highly reliable, accu-
rate and valuable.
_____4. Accessing information on the internet is easy, but requires more disci-
pline to check and validate. Sources do not have to be validated.
_____5. Information which is true is reliable even if it is outdated.
_____6. Gathering and social organizations are forms of indigenous media.
_____7. Indigenous communication is a means by which culture is preserved,
handed down and adapted.
_____8. Indigenous media and information are highly credible because they are
near the source and are seldom circulated for profit.
_____9. Cross-referencing with other sources to check for consistency is a way to
determine the timeliness of information.
_____10. Ignoring indigenous media and information can result in development
and education programs that are irrelevant and ineffective.

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