No. 51

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Principles of source criticality for our everyday skills

09 June 2025

Focus

RiTo No. 51, 2025

  • Kristiina Kaju

    Kristiina Kaju

    Leading Specialist, Parliamentary and Social Sciences Centre, National Library of Estonia

In our era of boundless information, distinguishing truth from manipulation is an essential modern competence.

As Kristiina Kaju of the National Library of Estonia elucidates, source criticism must evolve from a scholarly tool into a daily survival skill. This discipline entails more than spotting fake news — it’s about cultivating information literacy (infopädevus): recognising one’s informational needs, discerning credible sources, applying search strategies, and ethically analysing and applying knowledge. UNESCO similarly champions media and information literacy, highlighting the critical evaluation of sources and intentions. Readers must assess authorship, purpose, publication context, and the emotional tone of texts, while maintaining a vigilant stance toward algorithm-driven filter bubbles and social media manipulations. In a digital landscape teeming with bias, deepfakes, and disinformation, source criticism is not scepticism but a reasoned method for navigating reality. Thoughtful reading, not blind belief, is the hallmark of an informed citizen.

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