Newsweek By
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned Tuesday that democracy is at stake, during a conversation about media and news literacy.
“We will lose our democracy,” Sotomayor said, if people are unable to determine the credibility of the news and information they are consuming.
“You cannot depend upon what people are telling you,” she added, urging people to research original sources and not rely on “any one news source.”
“News literacy is the obligation of all of us to become more knowledgeable to get accurate information,” the Obama-appointed justice said.
Why It Matters
Misinformation in the U.S. has seen a notable increase in recent years, particularly surrounding significant events such as elections and natural disasters. The 2024 presidential election, for instance, was marked by widespread dissemination of false claims, including unfounded allegations of election fraud and manipulated content aimed at discrediting candidates. A report by the News Literacy Project highlighted that in the weeks leading up to the election, false claims casting doubt on the electoral process were prevalent on social media.
Sotomayor’s warning comes amid a wave of misleading information being spread online about government funding, much of it amplified by the Trump administration and Elon Musk.
What to Know
Sotomayor, a member of the Supreme Court’s liberal minority, was speaking with Knight Foundation president and CEO Maribel Perez Wadsworth at an event at Miami Dade College.
Wadsworth asked Sotomayor how important she thought the role of the press was in democracy…
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