Background

Back in 1851, The New York Times founded itself in a search for truth and a desire to help people understand the world. It has honored that mission through winning more Pulitzer prizes than any other news publication. The company has withstood the test of time and is now one of the few independent news organization that remains.

Problem

Being at the pinnacle of the Internet Era makes helping people understand the world a much more convoluted and complex task than ever before. The digital revolution is characterized by a flood of information (and misinformation) that news consumers can access from anywhere at any time. The lines between what’s fact vs. opinion, what’s evidence vs. inference, and what’s journalism vs. conjecture only gets more blurred as the internet gets more vast.

Ask

Empower the next generation of thought-leaders and culture creators through a modern, disruptive, non-traditional method that creates awareness of the importance of news literacy as a critical skill for understanding the world.

Solution

Give people the ability to develop crucial critical thinking skills and then show them how to apply these skills in their day to day lives.

Don’t Believe The Hype

An interactive Netflix series that creates a storyline around the news topics that are littered with misinformation and allows the viewer to choose between necessary constructs of news literacy as they watch the story unfold. The show is designed to educate viewers on how to habituate critical thinking so they are able to make informed decisions when consuming any form of information.

The Wrap Up

After viewers begin to develop necessary news literacy skills, they can then put these skills to the test through a new New York Times digital publication that provides different perspectives on current news topics. The publication gives users the chance to solidify their newfound skills through a real world application of these skills.