Students across four states are now learning how to discern “fake news” from  “real news.” These states recently passed a new law that adds media literacy: Delaware, New Jersey and Texas, and California are rolling out the new curriculum this year. It affects all students in K-12.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 873 in October, and the law took effect on Jan. 1, 2024. Educators will fold “media literacy” into daily topics, including English, math, science, and social science. 

State Democratic Assemblyman Marc Berman, who sponsored the bill, appeared to allude to supporters of former President Donald Trump in making his case for the “media literacy” legislation.

“I’ve seen the impact that misinformation has had in the real world — how it affects the way people vote, whether they accept the outcomes of elections, try to overthrow our democracy,” Berman said, according to the San Francisco Standard.

Republican lawmakers point out that state media literacy bills are too vague and promote “woke” ideologies.