SC Department of Education needs to ensure Media Literacy is taught in K-12 schools

Media Literacy education

Why would the State Department of Education oppose a law that would ensure Media Literacy is taught in schools?

That’s the question all of us are asking after the House Education/Public Works Committee failed to pass a measure (March 16) that would have created an “advisory task force” to investigate how media literacy is represented (or not) in the K-12 curriculum.

Rep. Seth Rose introduced the measure, and thanks go to Rep. Raye Felder for efforts to get it passed. State Department of Education officials testified they were not opposed to creating a task force. But during the first hearing on the measure, members of the committee balked at “another task force.”

I challenge our education officials (and lawmakers) to find references to propaganda, media bias, social media, media literacy, techniques of persuasion, and stereotypes in the K-12 standards. (None of these exist).

SDE has evidence that the majority of secondary students have failed to identify bias in a passage in the most recent S.C. Ready test. Teaching this skill should be a priority.

If there are no moves to improve “media literacy” instruction, our students will continue to be “left behind.”

Frank Baker, Columbia

Open carry gun law

It is past time for our lawmakers to contemplate the end result of the laws they pass to placate the out-of-control edges of their political parties. The rest of us, and our state and nation, suffer the consequences of these laws and it is getting very stressful out here.

Based on the events we have seen, I do not want people openly carrying weapons in my neighborhood or on any street or location I will be. It certainly would not make me feel safer, for very good reason. With the anger and hostility our people have toward authority or even people who disagree with them right now, this is an outrageous idea to propose.

As for “constitutional carry”; the single-load dueling pistol or the single-load rifle, weapons of the era of our founding fathers, are not what the anything-goes gun rights people wish to openly carry. Please show some sanity and back away from this very bad idea.

Ann Bowles, Columbia

Transgender youth

Regarding State Rep. McKnight supporting a bill blocking gender affirming treatment to transgender youth: Good for him for using common sense and not toeing the party line. Children in their teens do not always understand the ramifications of such a life-altering decision, even with parental approval. Let them become adults, and then they can properly make such a decision if they still feel the need to change their gender.

Marcus Polk, Winnsboro

Climate change

I was glad to read your guest editorial “A new focus on climate change,” from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Editorial Board (March 15, 2021). Pittsburgh’s evolution from steel to world-class medical is a great example of the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the American people - when conditions change, we rise to the challenge.

The editorial discussed Biden’s urgency around adapting climate policy, specifically citing two realities - the challenge of job creation to replace jobs in shrinking industries, and our responsibility for environmental stewardship. South Carolina can only benefit from both of those, and I might add a third to that list - economic incentives. Carbon pricing helps provide economic incentives to fossil fuel companies, many of which have clean energy portfolios but face economic pressures to fund traditional, carbon-based operations. Carbon fees shift the decision models so those companies can devote more resources to clean energy.

Biden wants to move quickly to address climate change; there is legislation already written, with bipartisan support, to implement a carbon fee and dividend program that distributes carbon fees captured from fossil fuel companies directly to consumers. I hope to see our South Carolina representatives supporting such a market-based plan.

Mary Gassel, Tega Cay