With information and news sources proliferating on social media and the Internet, educators say it is increasingly important to teach students how to separate fact from fiction.

Now a growing nonprofit sector is stepping in to help.

“Younger students might feel that all information is created equal,” said Alan C. Miller, the president of the News Literacy Project, a Maryland-based nonprofit that develops lesson plans for schools.

The News Literacy Project began by reaching students in Maryland and New York in 2009 and is now being used in classes in Chicago, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Additionally, the Robert R. McCormick Foundation has announced a project called Why News Matters, which will fund schools, universities and nonprofits throughout Chicago to run youth journalism programs and education.

Washington Post, April 15