The level of discussion about the damage caused by disinformation to our society has never been so high. Even in the far-off days before we were hit by the pandemic, people were becoming increasingly concerned about the standards and values expressed in our daily media diet. However, the pandemic somehow made it all more urgent as we struggled with increasing levels of harmful disinformation in all manner of channels about our health, our governments, our daily lives and the communities in which we live.

It is therefore great to see the attention that is being paid to combatting the tide of disinformation. The work of initiatives like the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) along with many national and regional initiatives is encouraging as they and other agencies and organisations try to find ways to stop the spread of false information which is deliberately intended to mislead. At the same time, more and more effort is going into developing sophisticated tools based on sound research aimed at tackling what many rightly consider a phenomenon which threatens the very nature of our democracies. Interest in fact-checking as a strategy and practice amongst those producing and sharing media content including mainstream journalists is at an all-time high, particularly as advanced detection systems, many of them based on AI, become more available.

However according as our tools and practices designed to combat disinformation improve, so do the skills and sophistication of those promoting disinformation. Many believe that it is not enough to simply try to stop the flow of information, what is needed is a change in how citizens of all backgrounds approach, use and understand media, not only as consumers, but also as producers and players in the sophisticated media environment in which we all function. In doing so, we need to do more than simply improve the skills of citizens in how they use media.

What we need to do is to help citizens acquire the ability to understand how and why messages are generated and shared, and to be able to critically evaluate different aspects of media operation and content, in other words to become ever more media literate.

Media literacy initiatives

Media literacy as a topic has been of concern for many years and there is a significant and respected body of research knowledge already in existence tracking different initiatives in various settings including education. However, the level of interest in how best to foster and encourage higher levels of media literacy amongst the population at large has never been higher resulting in a wealth of different initiatives, projects and policy discussions at Global, European, national, regional and sectoral levels.

Up to now in Europe, many of the initiatives aimed at increasing media literacy have been operated by highly competent, and enthusiastic NGOs who have achieved remarkable results despite limited resources. However the drive for more joined-up thinking when it comes to media literacy, coupled with an increasing recognition as to the importance of media literacy, has meant that we are starting to see the emergence of a significant number of large-scale actions supported by governments and the European Commission as well as significant efforts to bring media literacy players together to build on one another’s work, share successful experience and avoid duplication.

Policy initiatives

There have been several key drivers at policy level contributing to this increase in interest in media literacy. The first of these is the updated Audiovisual Media Services Directive (2018) which requires

“both media service providers and video-sharing platforms providers, in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders, promote the development of media literacy in all sections of society, for citizens of all ages, and for all media and that progress in that regard is followed closely”.

The European Commission’s strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation empowers industry to adhere to self-regulatory standards to combat disinformation. This code, which came into effect in 2022, makes specific reference to Media Literacy where signatories are required to “commit to continue and strengthen their efforts in the area of media literacy and critical thinking, also with the aim to include vulnerable groups.”

Furthermore, the European Commission’s Digital Education Action plan enabled the establishment of an expert group on tackling disinformation who worked together to create a report and a set of guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training which complements the work of the EC’s Media Literacy Expert Group (MLEG).

Funding media literacy

Another significant driver has been the increase in funding to specifically support media literacy initiatives in Europe. The new Creative Europe programme has had a specific call for Media Literacy projects since 2021 and the emergence of funders such as the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF) along with funding for media literacy projects by commercial platforms such as Google and Meta has meant that the number of media literacy projects aimed at helping citizens of all ages and backgrounds acquire necessary media literacy skills and competences has increased dramatically. These projects join the many others already funded under EC programmes like Erasmus+, Horizon Europe and national programmes and support mechanisms.

Coordinating efforts

When it comes to coordination and networking of the community of media literacy practitioners, policy makers and researchers, there have also been some significant breakthroughs. Probably most important of these has been linked to the emergence of the network of EDMO hubs. These 14 hubs covering all 27 member states constitute a network of organisations active in one or several member states, that aim to provide specific knowledge of local information environments so as to strengthen the detection and analysis of disinformation campaigns, improve public awareness, and design effective responses for national audiences. These hubs have a specific mandate to organise media literacy activities at national or multinational level and since February 2023, a network of those specifically working in the hubs in the area of media literacy has been established to share and collaborate on the topic of media literacy led by the EDMOeu partner with responsibility for this task, which is the Media & Learning Association. 

The establishment of the EDMO Hubs has been a significant breakthrough in terms of the promotion of media literacy across the member states: these hubs represent an opportunity to coordinate activities across national boundaries, for the first time taking adequate account of existing local and regional initiatives. EDMO Hubs bring together many of those active in delivering media literacy initiatives of different types in their target regions, so there is much to be gained by providing mechanisms to enable those involved in such work to exchange knowledge, resources, and best practice and to carry out joint actions where this has value.

At the same time, we are seeing a significant increase in coordination of media literacy effort at member state level. In Ireland for example, MLI brings together all the main media literacy interest groups, the same is true for Mediawijs in Belgium, Flanders and in Bulgaria through the work of the Media Literacy Coalition. Established media literacy government supported agencies like KAVI in Finland, CLEMI in France and CSEM in Belgium, Wallonie-Bruxelles are also leading figures in this field and making significant inroads in ensuring the wide-scale establishment of media literacy as a key skill and competence for all citizens in their own countries and regions.

When it comes to our food consumption and eating habits, we are increasing better informed about what we are consuming and sharing with family and friends, where our food comes from, and the benefits or otherwise of what we eat. Becoming truly media literate means exactly the same in terms of the media we consume, and until such time as we consider the health and other benefits of the media we consume in the same way, we are in very real danger of putting ourselves and the democracies in which we live, at significant risk. The need for media literacy has never been greater.

About the Media & Learning Association: The Media & Learning Association (MLA) is an international, not-for-profit association set up in 2012 under Belgian law to promote and stimulate the use of media as a way to enhance innovation and creativity in teaching and learning across all levels of education in Europe. With a current membership of over 70 organisations, MLA has a particular interest in media education and media literacy and works with many of its members to support knowledge exchange and collaboration in this area. For more information visit our website at https://media-and-learning.eu/

About Sally Reynolds: Sally has worked in the area of media supported learning for most of her career and is currently the chief coordination officer of the Media & Learning Association (MLA) and joint Director of ATiT. Sally leads MLA in several media literacy and media education initiatives and project and is the director of media literacy for EDMO Europe as well as being an experienced evaluator, dissemination strategist, European project manager and educational media producer.

Opening photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash.