A growing number of American states are requiring schools to teach students how to judge information on the internet and social media. California is the latest state to pass such a requirement. Last week, Governor Jerry Brown signed a law aimed at helping educators teach students “media literacy” skills. Media literacy, also known as news literacy, is the ability to use critical thinking skills to recognize differences between real and “fake” news. Fake news are stories that appear to be news, but are in fact false or misleading. The new law requires California’s Department of Education to provide materials related to media literacy on its website. The materials are designed to inform teachers and provide tools for them to teach the subject. California State Senator Bill Dodd proposed the bill, which became law. He said the goal is to give students a set of effective tools to “empower them to make informed decisions.”