無時無刻都有新的事情發生，新聞也油然而生，在系上任教的高泉旺老師，本身是位資深媒體人，擁有豐富的新聞業界經歷，對於許多新聞和議題都有獨特的見解。在媒體百花齊放的現在，資訊爆炸儼然成為現代人的苦惱，怎麼讀新聞、看新聞，更成為重要課題。在大眾傳播學系裡的四年會做完善的訓練，高泉旺更強調從現在起「閱讀理解力」、「資訊檢索能力」到「如何相信」，三項能力對於新聞從業人員而言，已經是不可或缺的基本配備。

閱讀理解力的重要在哪裡？高泉旺表示，假新聞可能造成錯誤的訊息傳遞，因為知識的溝渠而產生錯誤的傳播，所以唸大學就是為了改善知識的溝渠，進而讓溝通更容易理解，最甚者是能讀懂社交群體中的言外之意、化外之音。

「先知道，就先贏了。」高泉旺說，拜網路科技發達之賜現在搜尋資料越來越簡便快速，資訊檢索能力就顯得重要了，媒體業現在除了要比快速之外，需要有更多的連結把事件串起來，這項技能靠的是不斷的累積訓練，尤其是大傳系裡的課程就是專門鍛鍊學生這項真功夫。

   從接受訊息，進而理解，到最後一關決定是否相信，是每天都會遇到的課題。每個事件從不同角度去看，會有不同的看法，特別是在沒有足夠的資訊下，沒有辦法相信一件事實。然而知識就如同資訊一般，我們藉由經驗或是知識來判別事情的確認。高泉旺說，知識的高度可以讓你決定你該不該相信。來念書應該是要破除這樣的迷信，讓自己能選擇「相信」。

SIMON KAO

New things and new events are igniting news stories all the time. Dr. Simon Kao is an experienced media professional, with rich experience in the world of journalism, which he uses to offer a unique perpective on many issues of the day. With new media springing up almost daily, and the concomitant explosion of information, it can be a major headache for most people. How to read and interpret the news has become a crucial issue, and students will receive comprehensive training to do just that over their four years in the program. Dr. Kao stresses that for all media professionals, there are three absolutely critical skills to hone: reading comprehension, skills to search for information, and powers of judgement to decide whether or not to trust the news you’ve read.

Why is reading comprehension so important? Dr. Kao notes that fake news spreads false information. A university education can help people imrove the channels through which knowledge is shared and make communication more comprehensible. Even more important is the ability to read between the lines on social media.

“The winner is the one who finds out first,” says Dr. Kao. With technological advancements, it is easier and faster to track down information, and this makes skills to search for information more important. These skills require endless honing and training – and the curriculum ensures students receive ample opportunities to do just that.

Receiving information, understanding it, and then judging whether or not it’s trustworthy is a challenge we encounter every day. Seeing an issue from a particular perspective will produce a particular opinion. This is especially so when information is incomplete and it’s not possible to corroborate the facts. But knowledge and information are similar: we use our knowledge and experience to ascertain the veracity of the facts. Dr. Kao says that the scope of your knowledge will help you figure out whether or not to believe something. Studying at university should be about helping you see through false narratives and judge what is true.