In our society today, misinformation runs rampant. It’s not good enough anymore to run a Google search and read the first article and be done with your research. Comprehensively understanding many societal, economic, cultural, and environmental issues today requires more intensive research, fact-checking, and cross-referencing to ensure the information we’re consuming is as accurate as possible.
Students are the next generation. They’re the next decision-makers and the next leaders of our country and world. Shouldn’t we be making sure that they know how to find accurate information? That they know what misinformation really is? And most importantly, that they’re not taught misleading information in schools?
The Prager University Foundation (PragerU), founded in 2009 by Dennis Prager, a conservative talk show host, and Allen Estrin, a radio producer, is a nonprofit that “promotes American values” and “offers a free alternative to the dominant left-wing ideology in culture, media, and education.”
However, this foundation is not an accredited academic institution, and does not provide degrees. As stated on their website, under FAQs, “PragerU is not an accredited university, nor do we claim to be…We are the most accessible and influential online resource for explaining the concepts that have made America great.”
So then, what is the resource? Their website offers a variety of “shows” with animated video installments hosted by many speakers and personas. These shows include “5-Minute Videos,” a popular channel, as well as others featuring American stories, fireside discussions with Prager, or political commentary, to name a few. Additionally, an entire section of their library is targeted toward kids and students, including videos and periodical shows as well as worksheets, books, and classroom content.
This nonprofit has become a hot topic in recent years. In Florida, it’s taken more of a center stage this year, after the Department of Education accepted PragerU as an official education vendor, citing that it “aligned with the state’s revised civics and government standards.” By doing this, the DOE has allowed PragerU’s videos to be used in classrooms if a teacher chooses to do so.
The danger lies in that these videos are now approved for teachers to use in their classrooms. This organization exists, whether viewers want it to or not. They make videos, and they’re not going to stop. Students – or anyone – can very easily find them online and watch them for free, making their own decision to do so and consuming the videos – or not – as they choose. But now, an entire classroom full of students can be shown these videos, with videos on the website specifically marketed to students as young as kindergarten.
The question that’s asked is this: Are these videos accurate? Are they misleading? It’s first necessary to establish that these are two different things. Information can be accurate, but the way that it’s presented can be misleading to viewers.
For example, one of PragerU’s 5-minute-videos is titled “Fossil Fuels: Greener than you think.” This video discusses the idea that while we’re told that fossil fuels pollute our climate, and that that’s “what our children are taught,” fossil fuels have actually benefited our environment. The speaker, Alex Epstein, also describes that the best solution to indoor pollution in the developing world is fossil fuels, and that the more we’ve used fossil fuels, the cleaner our water has become.
But we shouldn’t be encouraging fossil fuel use, and we shouldn’t be teaching our children that these fuels are beneficial. The video compares a graph of fossil fuel use over time against a graph of the percentage of the global population with sanitation over time. This implies that increased fossil fuel usage directly causes improved sanitation – whether that’s the actual message or not, it’s what’s strongly implied by this inclusion. However, while these two graphs themselves present accurate information, it’s unfair and misleading to only paint fossil fuels as a good thing. Fossil fuel use isn’t the only thing that’s improved our sanitation, and it’s propagating misinformation to imply that it is.
The speaker of this video, Alex Epstein, is a recurring speaker of these 5-Minute Videos. He has another video called “Why you should love fossil fuels,” and frequently speaks about the climate. However, Epstein is not a scientist. He studied philosophy and computer science in college, founded a think tank, and wrote a book about fossil fuels. While his experience is still plentiful and credible, it’s again unfair to use him as a decisive voice speaking on something as important and controversial as fossil fuel use.
Climate isn’t just an issue Epstein discusses, though. Another 5-Minute Video, called “Is there really a climate emergency?” discussed whether or not the climate crisis is truthfully an issue, or if it’s simply fear-mongering. This video states that government reports say that “hurricane activity is no different than it was a century ago.” However, according to NASA (climate.nasa.gov), Angela Colbert, Ph.D. and a scientist in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab writes that since the 1980s, “the hurricane record has shown a more active period in the North Atlantic Ocean. On average, there have been more storms, stronger hurricanes, and an increase in hurricanes that rapidly intensify.”
So, it’s not true that hurricane activity is the same as it was a century ago. It’s simply misinformation to say that it is. Why should we be trusting a source spreading misinformation about the climate crisis to teach our children in the classroom? Of all places, shouldn’t schools be providing students with the facts about the climate crisis that prior generations have left for them to deal with?
While it’s a prime example of misinformation that may exist in the nonprofit’s content, PragerU doesn’t just cover the environment. They also have videos that discuss politics, race, gender, economics, to name a few. Some video titles are “Sex is Binary” and “Make Men Masculine.”
Additionally, videos specifically targeted to students cover topics like the complex nature of Christopher Columbus, socialism, and Christian-related topics like “Noah and the Rainbow,” shelved under a category of “Judeo-Christian Values.”
In the world of Florida education today, we can’t read certain books because of their discussions of gender, sex, and race. However, apparently we can watch videos promoting Judeo-Christian values. Is this something that should really be shown in a classroom when held against the standards of everything that can’t be?
It feels like a strong and dangerous double standard when the content that isn’t allowed is examined against the content that is. How is it fair that we’re taking one viewpoint away from children and only providing them with the other? This could have a myriad of effects on the future generation, including creating misinformed citizens and voters and promoting subconscious bias from as early as kindergarten.
Again, if parents want to teach their children certain values, or provide them with certain information in a certain way, that is by all means encouraged. And for some parents, PragerU could provide a valuable source and helpful way to do so. However, because of its presentation of controversial topics and information and its clear bias toward the right, it becomes a dangerous weapon when brought into the classroom.