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“There is no rest stop on the misinformation highway.”
– Dahlia Lithwick
It is hard to believe we are already deep into May. I keep thinking Memorial Day is still weeks away, but it is much closer than I realize.
In the May issue of Education Week, I read an article titled "Kim Kardashian says the moon landing was fake. There’s a lesson here for schools", written by Sam Wineburg, co-founder of the Digital Inquiry Group and co-author of Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Choices About What to Believe Online.
During an episode of her reality show, Ms. Kardashian said she believed the moon landing was fake. The clip went viral, reviving an old conspiracy theory from a celebrity comment.
I looked up Kim Kardashian’s social media following: 345–347 million on Instagram, 11.1 million on TikTok, and 68.9 million on X as of May 15, 2026. Even accounting for overlaps across platforms, the numbers are staggering and help explain how things go viral.
The article underscores the need for schools to teach students how to sort through online “junk” and distinguish misinformation from fact. Wineburg notes that educators often want to protect students, but he argues that avoiding false or misleading information does them a disservice. He maintains that educators should teach students to approach online content critically by factchecking and researching what they see. Digital literacy means learning to work with inaccurate social media content in the safety of a classroom, not being shielded from it.
Wineburg argues that creating digitally savvy students begins with helping them understand the “playbook” of online deception by working with real media posts in real classrooms. Students need to learn that information can be manipulated and that credibility is not determined by likes or followers.
It was an interesting article with several strong points. As educators, we often protect our students before we educate. I think of how health, sex, and social-emotional education in schools have evolved over time. My concern is that social media moves so quickly, and young people are connected all day, exposed to influences beyond our control. We may not have the luxury of time to allow this to move from protection to education.
Enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend.
Dave
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