What is the relevance of media literacy for the development sector? This study from the Center for International Media Assistance examines efforts to promote understanding of media’s role in a democracy and to equip citizens to analyse and participate in the news process. Without independent media, citizens lack accurate information and so are less able to foster democracy and hold duty-bearers accountable. Media literacy training creates demand for accurate and fair news on both traditional and digital media platforms. This encourages checks and balances and democratic debate.
Media literacy means understanding the value of news and information, the power of media messages, and the role that citizens can—and should—play in setting the public agenda. Media literacy programmes teach critical analysis. Teaching citizens to critically monitor news media (to be alert to rumour mongering or hate speech, for example) is more effective than seeking to control the supply of news. Media literate citizens defend media’s watchdog role, promote civil society and demand higher standards from media professionals.
Donors often fail to prioritise media literacy work, however, because it requires a long timeframe to produce results and the results are hard to measure. Other issues also impede support for media literacy projects:
- There is little coordination and information sharing. There is no central data bank for who is funding what in any given region, leading to duplication and reduced learning.
- Media literacy projects get lost in other, larger projects. Media literacy work is difficult to track as it is usually embedded in broader programmes. None of the agencies surveyed tracked their support of media literacy in their in-house accounting.
- There is not enough research into audiences or the level of media literacy in most developing countries. Understanding how a country’s population accesses, understands, and uses media—including new social networking media—would help to target funds and measure results.
Coordination among funders, implementers, and in-country partners is essential. Both challenges and best practices need to be shared; safe venues for this need to be created; and money needs to be budgeted within grants for communication and coordination. Donors supporting media development should collaborate with education and human rights groups to create a funders’ consortium for strategic investment. Further recommendations include the following.
- Track the delivery of the media literacy components of larger projects so that costs and outcomes can be evaluated.
- Measure the level of media literacy in developing countries. The International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) should add media literacy as a criterion in its Media Sustainability Index (MSI). This would facilitate assessment of national and regional media development needs.
- Conduct and disseminate more research on media literacy and create an international coordination centre. Which news outlets do people trust or not trust? What value do they place on the media they read, watch or listen to?
- Boost funding by expanding the pool of donors supporting projects that include media literacy components. More philanthropists and corporations could be enlisted.
