Each 24 to 31 October is celebrated as United Nations (UN) Global Media and Information Literacy Week.
The Thammasat University Library collection includes several books about media and information literacy for the public good.
As the UN website explains,
Global Media and Information Literacy Week, commemorated annually, is a major occasion for stakeholders to review and celebrate the progress achieved towards “Media and Information Literacy for All.”
Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2021 is hosted by South Africa. This year marks 10 years since the seeds of Global Media and Information Literacy Week were planted in 2011 in Fez, Morocco. This was long before the exponential rise in disinformation, political polarisation, increasing influence of digital platforms and the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021 the UN General Assembly decided to commemorate the week, citing the need for the dissemination of factual, timely, targeted, clear, accessible, multilingual and science-based information. The resolution recognizes that the substantial digital divide and data inequalities that exist among different countries and within them, can be addressed in part by improving people’s competencies to seek, receive and impart information in the digital realm.
In the current ecosystem of complex and sometimes contradictory messages and meanings, it is hard to conceive of the public good being advanced, if the public is disempowered in the face of opportunities and threats. Each individual needs to be equipped with media and information literacy competencies to understand the stakes, and to contribute to and benefit from information and communication opportunities.
What is Media and Information Literacy?
Our brains depend on information to work optimally. The quality of information we engage with largely determines our perceptions, beliefs and attitudes. It could be information from other persons, the media, libraries, archives, museums, publishers, or other information providers including those on the Internet.
People across the world are witnessing a dramatic increase in access to information and communication. While some people are starved for information, others are flooded with print, broadcast and digital content. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) provides answers to the questions that we all ask ourselves at some point. How can we access, search, critically assess, use and contribute content wisely, both online and offline? What are our rights online and offline? What are the ethical issues surrounding the access and use of information? How can we engage with media and ICTs to promote equality, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, peace, freedom of expression and access to information?
Through capacity-building resources, such as curricula development, policy guidelines and articulation, and assessment framework, UNESCO supports the development of MIL competencies among people.
A report published last year by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Bangkok office, available for free download here, explores Media and information literacy education in Asia: Exploration of policies and practices in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines:
UNESCO regards Media and Information Literacy (MIL) education as one of the central domains in fostering critical thinking, respect for cultural diversity, and open dialogue. To support Member States in formulating education policies on MIL that respond to the current trends and challenges, UNESCO Bangkok Office published a new study Media and Information Literacy Education in Asia: Exploration of policies and practices in Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The study critically reviews the MIL education policies and practices in formal, informal and non-formal settings in the five countries above, and explores how MIL education could address the emerging and pressing issues such as political extremism, false news, online harassment and discrimination. The publication further attempts to synthesize the current MIL policies and practices in Asia and provide suggestions, in light of the global concerns over eroding democratic values and the rise of populism.
The global crisis linked to the COVID-19 pandemic underlines how crucial it is for our societies to have access to quality information and navigate the news and internet environment in order to strengthen our resilience in the face of the multiple challenges facing humanity.Through Media and Information Literacy – abbreviated as MIL – we develop the ability to access, understand, analyse and create information and media content. MIL is an essential skill that shapes our perceptions, beliefs and attitudes towards the world. We make important decisions based on information. We form ideas about people, a country, a religion and a situation by obtaining information. If the news or information we access is invented, false, exaggerated or distorted, we won’t get an accurate view of the world.As the United Nations Agency specifically mandated to promote freedom of expression and freedom of the press, UNESCO has been leading a global programme to promote MIL for more than a decade. Our strategy includes establishing policy and strategy for Media and Information Literacy and promoting MIL education through teacher training all over the world. The MIL programmes in education have been traditionally designed to enhance people’s knowledge about media and information, develop their capacity to use ICT, and create and analyse media contents. The recent trends relating to the rise of hate speech and information disorder have added the issue of prevention of violence, discrimination and conflict into the MIL agenda. More and more MIL is cited to protect people from propaganda and content promoting violence, but also to maximize the benefits of freedom of expression in a view to enhance their participation as a global citizen…
Definitions: The conceptual definition and meaning of MIL in Thai society have been the subject of important debates among stakeholders in Thailand due to the continuous efforts of civil society groups and the academic literature on media, information and digital literacies made available. Many theses and research projects were published on these subjects during the past few decades. Based on the media literacy frameworks initiated by Western scholars, these local studies often discuss MIL curricula and lessons designed for students, mostly at secondary school and university levels. Some studies pay specific attention to the level of media and information literacy and media use among particular age and social groups, such as the elderly, people with disabilities and members of the clergy, and provide intervention designs for them. A handful of studies explore the complementary features between MIL and other literacies, such as health literacy. It is also worth mentioning the recommendations from researchers to integrate local values into the western-designed MIL conceptual framework and modules to make them more culturally relevant. The notions of morality, ethics, reflective thinking, contemplative education99 as well as Buddhist principles have been introduced into the discussion about media literacy education with an aim for learners to be more mindful, conscientious and introspective in their use of traditional and new media. In the late 2010s, Thai Civic Education, a network of academics, educators and activists specializing in education, human rights and politics, teamed up with the CYMI to develop a curriculum framework, entitled Media, Information, and Digital Literacy (MIDL) for Democratic Citizenship Education. Recognising that media, information and digital literacies are fundamental to the notion of democratic citizenship in general and especially vital to the Thai context, the group agreed to the notion of ‘Media, Information and Digital Literacy (MIDL). Notwithstanding a common interpretation of what MIL is in theory, stakeholders tend to focus on different aspects of MIL as well as approaches when it comes to implementing the concept. The emphasis on the protectionist approach against potential media and digital risks, as well as on technical skills, downplays the importance of other aspects of MIL policy, namely the use of media, information and digital technology to enhance people’s participation in society, creativity and citizenship awareness.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)