Bill Overview
Title: Educating Against Misinformation and Disinformation Act
Description: This bill establishes a commission and requires other activities to support information and media literacy education and to prevent misinformation and disinformation. Specific duties of the commission include (1) implementing a national strategy to promote information and media literacy; and (2) identifying programs and resources on information and media literacy for use in elementary, secondary, and higher education, and adult education programs. The Department of Education (ED) must assess the effectiveness of the commission in promoting information and media literacy education. ED must also award competitive grants to nonprofits (including institutions of higher education) to develop educational materials, public awareness campaigns, and other programming to promote information and media literacy and combat misinformation and disinformation. Additionally, ED must conduct a study to evaluate information and media literacy among the American public.
Sponsors: Rep. Beyer, Donald S., Jr. [D-VA-8]
Target Audience
Population: Global population engaged with information and media.
Estimated Size: 335000000
- The bill affects all individuals who interact with information, which includes most of the global population.
- Media literacy is a fundamental skill in the information age, where misinformation is spread globally through digital means.
- The bill targets educational programs at all levels, implying a wide-reaching impact on students in elementary, secondary, and higher education, as well as adult learners.
- It also involves public awareness campaigns, indicating a broader audience beyond just educational institutions.
- Considering the global spread of misinformation, the education and media literacy initiatives could have indirect effects on a global scale as ideas and practices are shared across borders.
Reasoning
- The policy targets a wide range of individuals in the U.S., from young students to adults, who interact with media and information daily. Thus, it affects a diverse set of people, including different ages, occupations, and locations.
- The policy's focus on education means a significant impact on students and educators, but also potentially broad effects on any community involved in lifelong learning.
- The budget limitation means not everyone in the U.S. will be directly reached by programs or materials created under this policy, suggesting a range of impact levels within the target population.
- Wellbeing changes may largely depend on the individual's baseline level of media literacy, personal views on government involvement in education, and interest in media literacy issues.
- The policy could indirectly benefit people through improved societal resilience to misinformation, even if they are not directly targeted by programs funded by the policy.
Simulated Interviews
High School Student (Chicago, IL)
Age: 16 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm excited to learn more about how to tell if news is fake or real.
- I think more people should know how to check their sources.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 6 |
College Professor (Austin, TX)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This initiative could enhance my curriculum and support my students.
- I'm cautious about how the policy might standardize media literacy education.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 7 |
Freelance Journalist (New York, NY)
Age: 30 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Media literacy is crucial, but execution will be key.
- Grants for nonprofits might bring diverse voices into education.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 8 |
Retired Teacher (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 60 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Educational resources for adults are very limited, this could help.
- I worry about political influence on what is considered misinformation.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Farmer (Rural Kansas)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This kind of education is more for city folks with internet.
- I don't see how this affects my day-to-day life much.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Undergraduate Student (Boston, MA)
Age: 22 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's important my generation understands these issues.
- Hope it leads to meaningful, positive change and isn't just talk.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Retired IT Security Consultant (Miami, FL)
Age: 65 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Misinformation is a huge issue nowadays, especially online.
- Education is key—hopefully, this reaches those it needs to.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
High School Teacher (Seattle, WA)
Age: 28 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This could enhance the resources I have for teaching media literacy.
- I hope funding is distributed fairly and widely.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 10 | 8 |
Marketing Manager (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 40 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Misinformation affects my job; better media literacy could help.
- Interested in how this policy will influence online behaviors.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Retired Librarian (Smalltown, MS)
Age: 75 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This effort might not reach smaller towns quickly.
- Libraries could use resources to teach media literacy locally.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 7 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $200000000 (Low: $150000000, High: $250000000)
Year 2: $220000000 (Low: $170000000, High: $270000000)
Year 3: $230000000 (Low: $180000000, High: $280000000)
Year 5: $260000000 (Low: $210000000, High: $300000000)
Year 10: $300000000 (Low: $250000000, High: $350000000)
Year 100: $500000000 (Low: $400000000, High: $600000000)
Key Considerations
- The bill aims to cover extensive ground in terms of target audience and program scope, making cost predictions challenging.
- Competitive grants could drive innovative approaches in media literacy education but also place high demand on resources.
- Effectiveness assessment requirements introduce both accountability and additional costs.