Trust Me (2020)

TRUST ME uses stories, facts and experts to explain how our lack of media literacy is hurting us and how the media is negatively affecting our perspective of the world. True stories of how mis-information can result in real problems are meant to provoke thought and action in viewers. An avalanche of negative news has led many to believe the world is scary. Sensational media take advantage of our survival instincts to earn more clicks and ad revenue with scary and shocking headlines - many of which aren't even true - and we're enabling them each time we share. When our fear goes up, our trust comes down. Being distrustful of each other increases how divided we feel. The truth is,violence, crime and extreme poverty have decreased significantly since 1900 while access to education, medicine and technology have significantly increased. Over 15 experts were interviewed on the topic of media literacy. Those experts include media literacy organization directors and founders, professors of psychology, journalism, education and media studies, a former fake news creator, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, several authors and a neuroscientist. Several real life examples help explain why our current methods of consuming media aren't healthy. From New Zealand to Chicago not knowing how to gather trustworthy information online has led to serious problems. One school in Colorado has soared in academic performance since making major changes to their phone usage policies. Meanwhile, Russia takes advantage of technology by posing as Americans on social platforms and spreading hate, distrust and misinformation.