Ep #001: Vanessa Otero
Media Literacy and Critical Thinking: A Conversation with Vanessa Otero
How do we actually know what’s true online?
In this premiere episode of Bluestock Talk, Allison sits down with Vanessa Otero, founder of Ad Fontes Media and creator of the Media Bias Chart, to unpack truth, bias, and the skills we all need to navigate today’s chaotic information landscape.
Vanessa explains the RELI framework for evaluating truth and why evidence, not vibes, is the most important signal when assessing information online. From viral videos and AI-generated content to health claims and medical technology, this conversation explores how media literacy and medtech literacy overlap more than you might think.
Along the way, Vanessa shares practical strategies for fact-checking, avoiding misinformation, and becoming a more thoughtful consumer of information.
One of Vanessa's most powerful points:
“The most important signal when determining what’s true is evidence.”
People often rely on reputation, popularity, or incentives instead, but those signals can easily mislead us.
Episode Highlights
00:00 — Understanding Truth and Reliability
11:40 — Implementing Critical Thinking
18:16 — Verifying Information and Contextual Facts
27:14 — Trust, Authenticity, and Bias
36:00 — Life-Changing Medical Devices
Key Takeaways
• Evidence is the most reliable signal of truth
• Lateral reading is essential for verifying information
• Critical thinking starts with asking “Why might this not be true?”
• Trust and truth are not the same thing
• Media literacy and medtech literacy rely on the same skills
Explore Vanessa’s work and the Media Bias Chart: https://adfontesmedia.com
WATCH THE EPISODE ON YOUR FAVORITE PLATFORM:
