4418 The Communication Initiative, The Drum Beat – Issue 531 – Media Literacy, March 1 2010

The Drum Beat – Issue 531 – Media Literacy
March 1 2010

This issue includes:

* BACKDROP: Conceptual reflections on «media literacy»
* Many thanks to our CONTINUED CI ASSOCIATES.
* INTERCULTURAL lenses on media literacy.
* Lend your voice to our Media Development POLL.
* Engaging and protecting YOUNG MEDIA CONSUMERS.
* Health sector communication: Subscribe to C-CHANGE PICKS.
* THE MASS MEDIA’s ROLE in enhancing literacy.

From The Communication Initiative Network – where communication and media are central to social and economic development.

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This issue of The Drum Beat aims to shed a light on «media literacy»: what is it? What rationale enlivens it? How have its strategies been borne out in specific educational initiatives around the world – in various contexts, for various audiences? One thread that runs through this issue is the range of ways in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) – the «new media» – have stirred up fresh debates about freedom, transparency, and voice in a digital age.

THE WHAT & WHY OF MEDIA LITERACY

1.      Mapping Media Education Policies in the World: Visions, Programmes and Challenges
by Divina Frau-Meigs (ed.) and Jordi Torrent (ed.)
The Foreword of this March 2009 document provides one definition of media literacy: «the ability to access the media, to understand and evaluate critically their contents and to create communications in a variety of contexts.» According to the document, «media literacy is one of the principal new tools that provide citizens with the skills they need to make sense of the sometimes overwhelming flow of daily media and in particular, new media and information disseminated through new communication technologies.» The document urges a global, shared rationale that can be summarised «as revolving around the 6 C’s of the Competences for media education: Comprehension, Critical Capacity, Creativity, Consumption, Citizenship and Cross-Cultural Communication.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/301696/307

2.      Principles for a New Media Literacy
by Dan Gillmor
This December 2008 paper proposes rethinking, or at least reapplying, some older cultural norms. Once called «media literacy», this set of principles includes trust and credibility – which can be a challenge not only for traditional media but, especially, for new media (e.g., politically funded blogging in election years, services that pay bloggers to recommend products, etc.). The author commends the worldwide web for beginning to generate and aggregate media criticism. The web and the associated media tools available also give more widespread accessibility so that media consumers can become creators. However, as stated here, the role demands a new kind of media literacy for both consumers and creators. The competencies of media education set forth here for participation in media consumption are: scepticism, judgement, understanding, and reporting.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/290649/2754

3.      Youth Engaging with the World: Media, Communication and Social Change The International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media’s Yearbook 2009
«Young people’s competence in using media, their ability to produce, understand and interact with the multiplicity of both new and old media formats and technologies have been instrumental in the manifestation of social processes of change. This book seeks to explore theoretical assumptions as well as empirical evidence of media and information literacy in action. But it also gathers examples of how youth in developing countries have used their skills to bring about change.»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/306319/307

4.      Media Literacy: Citizen Journalists
by Susan D. Moeller
This report investigates how the United States (US) government, international institutions, and private foundations are trying to teach a new cohort of semi-journalists to be media-literate. Arguing that, «[i]n places where economic and political challenges make it problematic for traditional media to operate, citizen journalism allows a community not only to take control of – and responsibility for – the media coverage of citizens’ hometowns but also to learn about and get engaged with the issues and events that matter to them», the article makes the case for funding media literacy programmes for citizen journalists. «Given the growing importance of citizen journalism in keeping critical communication channels open and populations accurately informed, training needs to be expanded to citizens in countries in transition and crisis.»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/306353/2754

5.      Make Media Matter – United States
From the Independent Film Channel (IFC), this interactive forum is designed to foster a deeper understanding of the vital role media plays in our lives, society, and world. It is based on the premise that we have yet to develop a «common language that enables us to untangle the myriad of conflicting messages we consume every day….If we as a society are to harness the true potential of media, we must meet, communicate, challenge, share and empower ourselves to consume and create media in ways that strengthen global citizenship.» Hofstra University Professor Paul Mihailidis’ «5 A’s of Media Literacy» provides a basic vocabulary for the Make Media Matter site in an effort to facilitate discussions by consumers and creators of media.
Contact: Paul Mihailidis Paul.Mihailidis@hofstra.edu
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/306395

CI ASSOCIATES

Our thanks to the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) –
http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?m=43aa03f46cdfe63f5184b31300f6ff68 –
for continuing their support of The CI Network, The Drum Beat, and all of our interactive platforms through their RENEWED CI Associates contribution.

Please consider joining these and other CI Associates who are helping preserve, sustain, and advance this growing knowledge sharing and social networking process. Many levels of participation are open!

For a full list of current CI Associates, please see
http://www.comminit.com/ci_associates/members

For details and to sign up, please see
http://www.comminit.com/en/ci_associates/ Thank you.

MEDIA LITERACY, CROSS-CULTURE

6.      Salzburg Academy’s Global Media Literacy (GML) – Global
The International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA) at the University of Maryland (in the US) offers an intercultural global media programme that annually gathers over 50 students and a dozen faculty from more than 15 countries on 5 continents to explore the global media’s role in global citizenship and civil society. Students work in groups to create case studies around topics that are seen across borders, across cultures, and across divides. They build frameworks for analysis, critique, and exploration, and then create stylised videos to help tell stories about media for global audiences using flip cams, basic audio devices, and editing tools.
Contact: Paul Mihailidis Paul.Mihailidis@hofstra.edu
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/307403/2754

7.      International Media Literacy Research Forum (IMLRF) – Global
This online hub is designed for policymakers, practitioners, regulators, and researchers to communicate, share ideas, and promote their media literacy work. It is built around a framework which can be used to explain the background and context to media literacy activity in each country. This strategy is designed to allow points of similarity and difference to be clarified and to help explain the political, social/cultural, technological/market, learning, and regulatory contexts in which media literacy research studies have taken place.
Contact: http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?m=26e76ea8b3693830e535fcd31cfe5766
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/310566

8.      Second European Congress on Media Literacy
EuroMeduc is a European exchange network for media literacy working to support the effective and integrated development of media literacy and to see it become more widespread and implemented throughout Europe. The first European Congress on Media Literacy, held in 2004, was followed by a second Congress in Bellaria, Italy, from October 21-24 2009. More than 350 experts from 30 countries gathered for the event, which built on 3 previous seminars. The 70 recommendations that emerged are collected in the publication «Media Literacy in Europe: Controversies, Challenges and Perspectives».
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/310597

9.      DOTCOM – Armenia, Azerbaijan, United States
Through DOTCOM, 90 Armenian, American, and Azerbaijani students aged 14-16 are exploring youth issues through the lens of media, ultimately creating their own documentaries, digital stories, short films, public service announcements (PSAs), and other media for distribution internationally. The organisations supporting the programme will use the media created by youth to advocate for the issues addressed during the programme, such as conflict, to the end of (hopefully) raising awareness and fostering civic action. The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is here intended to enable connection – even in the face of negative stereotypes of the other perpetuated by the national media in Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Contact: Elizabeth Metraux elizabeth.metraux@ph-int.org OR Astghik Zakaryan Astghik.Zakaryan@ph-int.org OR Kanan JafarliKanan.Jafarli@ph-int.org
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/302738/307

Please VOTE in our Media Development poll!

What are the best possibilities for journalist-readership connections? (you may choose more than one; please add clarifying comments)

Connection:
* Readers should hold journalists to a high standard of transparency.
* Journalists should ascertain topical concerns of readers.
* Journalists should build support for public risk-taking in the name of media freedom.
* Readers should hold editors, managers, and media owners accountable for journalistic freedom.

VOTE and COMMENT: http://www.comminit.com/en/node/288047/2754

RESULTS thus far (February 25 2010):

29%: Readers should hold editors, managers, and media owners accountable for journalistic freedom.
28%: Readers should hold journalists to a high standard of transparency.
27%: Journalists should build support for public risk-taking in the name of media freedom.
16%: Journalists should ascertain topical concerns of readers.

ENGAGING AND PROTECTING YOUTH

10.     Media Education and Media Competence – Russia
The Taganrog State Pedagogical Institute held a Russian research school called «Media Education and Media Competence» from October 18-25 2009 in an effort to: educate young researchers and teachers in scientific and methodological advances in the field of media education; organise a creative dialogue on issues of media education and media competence; and create an integrative communicative space for young scientists to make interpersonal contacts and to intensify the exchange of scientific expertise and information.
Contact: Alexander Fedorov mediashkola@rambler.ru
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/310625

11.     Media Literacy: Empowering Youth Worldwide
by Paul Mihailidis
From the Executive Summary: «…At all levels of education, initiatives in media literacy are premised on teaching youth and young adults to consume media critically….The successful implementation of such platforms, however, depends on many variables. Governments must have the proper infrastructure and expertise to enable successful media literacy education initiatives…. Educators must have adequate training to teach media literacy. Schools must have the resources to engage students with media on a personal level. And educational bodies must have a framework from which they can produce positive outcomes in media literacy learning in classroom settings…»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/306355/348

12.     Digital Adwise Curriculum
From Media Smart, this online teaching pack intends to instruct primary school students about online and digital advertisement. Digital Adwise aims to help children recognise and understand digital marketing communications, such as viral marketing, the use of social marketing sites, and online games, and to teach them the media literacy and critical thinking skills they need to choose wisely and protect themselves. At its centre are 10 interactive online lessons to be used by individuals or small groups on classroom computers. These materials use real examples of advertising to teach core media literacy skills.
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/308754

13.     OVCE.sk [«Sheep»] – Slovakia
This media literacy initiative is designed to raise Slovakian children’s awareness about the hazards of «virtual life». The non-governmental organisation (NGO) eSlovensko has created a series of animated videos that have been broadcast on national television and on YouTube in various languages. The stories are set on a farm and combine patterns of Slovak cultural heritage with sensitive, up-to-date topics like grooming, paedophilia, racism, and xenophobia, as well as the misuse of personal information or photographs, which are dealt with in an amusing yet educational way.
Contact: Marcela Alzin marcela.alzin@eslovensko.sk OR eslovensko@eslovensko.sk
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/310551

14.     Child Online Protection (COP) – Global
Launched in 2009 by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), COP aims to bring together partners from all sectors of the global community to raise awareness of the risks and vulnerabilities that exist in cyberspace, such as bullying and harassment, identity theft, online gaming and addiction, and harmful and illegal content. COP’s online resources are designed to empower children and young people through education about what can happen online and how to behave to navigate safely. Practical tools to help minimise risk include 4 sets of guidelines developed specifically for each of the following stakeholder groups: children, parents and educators, industry, and policymakers. The guidelines are offered in several languages.
Contact: cop@itu.int
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/310605

15.     Respect?: Evaluation Report
by Katherine Cowan
This February 2009 report documents the practical process of involving young people in the Respect? campaign, which was launched to urge UK young people to use new technologies to take ownership of the media, and to make their opinions heard. The evaluation concludes that «The involvement of young people in Respect? ensured the campaign was led by young people’s ideas, and was therefore able to identify and truly focus on the current needs of young people. Taking into account their own experiences, and those of their contemporaries, the members were able to tap into the views of young people across the UK, who felt misrepresented by politics and the media. The members’ ideas were integral to maintaining the campaign’s relevance…»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/301828/348

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http://www.comminit.com/en/cchangepicks/newsletter

The C-Change Picks website and e-magazine both feature selections of case studies, initiatives, resources, and thinking included on The CI website that have been specifically highlighted by the C-Change programme. Funded by USAID, C-Change works with global, regional, and local partners to apply social and behaviour change communication (SBCC) approaches in the health sector – HIV and AIDS, family planning and reproductive health, malaria, and primary health care. The C-Change Picks e-magazine is published regularly and features resources recently highlighted by C-Change.

SUBSCRIBE by contacting cchange@comminit.com

For a comprehensive view of what has been highlighted thus far, visit the C-Change Picks website – http://www.comminit.com/en/cchangepicks.html

WHAT ROLE FOR THE MEDIA?

16.     International News: Bringing about the Golden Age
by Ethan Zuckerman
This document suggests that, lacking decisive research on audience demand for international news, «[t]hose of us who believe in the importance of international news in creating an informed citizenry… face a difficult challenge.» The conclusion, is that «[c]lose attention needs to be paid to the ways in which readers discover international stories, the ways in which they follow these stories over time, and especially, how they decide to find information on stories they feel insufficiently informed about….Media outlets – commercial and otherwise – concerned with delivering international news need to experiment with new strategies in storytelling, connecting personal stories to international events, and presenting international stories in conjunction with stories more likely to catch the viewer’s eye.»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/290640/2754

17.     Media Literacy: Understanding the News
by Susan D. Moeller
This October 1 2009 report is the first in a series of 3 on the status of US and international understanding of and funding for media literacy. From the Executive Summary: «Media literacy training gives the public the tools to be active citizens….In regions of the world that lack independent media, citizens cannot elect their best representatives, accurately monitor industry, or judge how to foster healthy development because they are often starved of information and do not know how much trust to place in news sources. Media literacy training is a tool the development sector can use to educate citizens and other stakeholders to better understand the role of information in a democracy and pressure governments to be accountable and to root out corruption.»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/306350/2754

18.     Public Broadcasting and Public Affairs: Opportunities and Challenges for Public Broadcasting’s Role in Provisioning the Public with News and Public Affairs
by Pat Aufderheide, Jessica Clark, and Jake Shapiro
This December 2008 paper discusses US public broadcasting – its historical evolution, the differing structures of radio and television, financing, the types of news and public affairs programming available, two phases of digital challenges, finding solutions to the challenges, experiments that may point to future changes, leadership challenges, scenarios for change, and next steps. The authors analyse how public broadcasting can use its assets – «highly trusted and useful programming, and a close relationship with an active part of the U.S. citizenry’ – to overcome the culture of one-way messaging in mass media and embrace the digital culture’s two-way audience as «ally and colleague».
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/290686/307

19.     Editors – The Best Is Yet to Come?
by Tom Stites
Published in December 2008, this article suggests that networked digital journalism needs editors more than ever. Author Tom Stites argues that «as the future unfolds, more and more institutional journalism will be prepared with the Web in mind and loaded with links that offer readers depth, sidebars that offer different perspectives, feedback tools galore, and Web 2.0 tools to engage with others on the issues. So preparing articles for publication will evolve to engage editors in interesting new ways. And future editors have great opportunities to use databases to do powerful Web-based investigative journalism….The possibilities are limitless. And, for editors, that will make for a golden age.»
http://www.comminit.com/en/node/290794/348

This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Kier Olsen DeVries.

The Drum Beat is the email and web network of The Communication Initiative Partnership – ANDI, BBC World Service Trust, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Calandria, CFSC Consortium, CIDA, DFID, FAO, Fundación Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano, Ford Foundation, Healthlink Worldwide, Inter-American Development Bank, International Institute for Communication and Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs, MISA, PAHO, The Panos Institute, The Rockefeller Foundation, SAfAIDS, Sesame Workshop, Soul City, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, WHO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Chair of the Partners Group: Garth Japhet, Founder, Soul City garth@heartlines.org.za
Executive Director: Warren Feek wfeek@comminit.com

The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to The CI’s Editorial Director – Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.