About

A flood of viral misinformation, amplified on social media, threatens our democratic institutions, our public health and the shared values that bind the nation together. It has never been more urgent for students to learn how to judge the reliability of the news and information they consume and share.

This can be a particular challenge for pre-teens and middle school students who confront a blizzard of texts and viral videos every day on their newly acquired smart phones. The habits they form by 13 could stick for the rest of their lives.

And they simply aren’t prepared. A recent study by researchers at Stanford University found that middle school students were woefully unable to assess the credibility of news and information sources online. More than 70 percent, for example, could not distinguish between advertisements and news stories on a website.

But help is the way. Her name is Chip Tracer.

She is a superhero for the Digital Age. In a series of adventures, armed with amazing digital tools and powers, she battles the forces of misinformation and deception and in the process presents practical advice on how students can be smarter news consumers.

Chip’s original home was the Long Island newspaper Newsday, where she starred in a series of Comics on the News. More recently, she has become attached to the emerging News Literacy movement at Stony Brook University, whose Center for News Literacy has adapted its curriculum for thousands of middle school students on Long Island and New York City, with demand growing rapidly.