Media Literacy teaches readers how to navigate through the overwhelming flood of information found in today's media-saturated world. Drawing from thousands of media research studies, author W. James Potter explores the key components to understanding the fascinating world of mass media. Potter presents numerous examples and facts to help readers understand how the media operate, how they attract attention, and how they influence the public. The Ninth Edition has been thoroughly updated to evolve with the ever-changing media landscape and features a new chapter on fake news, debating what we as news consumers can do to recognize fake news in order to avoid its influence. Each chapter concludes with a set of exercises to help readers apply the chapter material to everyday life and engage in a step-by-step process to increase their own media literacy.