Gov. Brown Signs Bill To Improve Media Literacy Among Students

NAPA (CBS SF) – Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed a bill from a Napa state senator that's designed to help students navigate the web to discern legitimate sources of online information.

Senate Bill 830, introduced by state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, requires the state Department of Education's website to list resources and instructional materials on media literacy, including professional development programs for teachers.

The department has to comply by July 1, 2019.

The bill was co-authored by a bipartisan group of legislators. It was inspired by a recent Stanford University study that found 82 percent of middle-school students found it challenging to distinguish advertisements from news stories, according to Paul Payne, spokesman for Dodd.

The legislation passed both houses of the Legislature.

"This bill is about empowering students to make informed decisions," Dodd said in a statement. "And frankly, it's about safeguarding the future of our democracy."

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