The paper describes specific experiences with educational activities aimed at strengthening media literacy in the field of combating disinformation among primary and secondary school teachers, which were implemented in 2022-2023 through the Central European Digital Media Observatory. A total of 3633 primary and secondary school teachers from all over the Czech Republic participated in the education and evaluated the educational events. The article presents examples of specific educational activities oriented to the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes of students through teaching in primary or secondary school.
This paper explores the media and information literacy (MIL) competencies of young Ghanaians in senior high schools. It is premised on the rising spate of misinformation, online security breaches, and the avalanche of content young people must navigate. Together, these factors demand young persons to be new media savvy in order to use the affordances of the current media ecology to their benefit. To advocate for comprehensive MIL education in senior high schools in Ghana, the study adopts a comparative analysis logic to examine demographic differences that attend young people’s media and information literacy. A nationwide survey of 1200 senior high students enables comparisons of MIL across different demographic variables, including gender, type of school, and access to new media technology. Findings reveal that the students generally have weak media and information literacy. However, this is tempered by their demographics. Students in highranked schools have better MIL than those in less-endowed schools. Interestingly, the study also found that those with better access to digital tools demonstrate low MIL competency. The findings point to an urgent need for MIL education to be integrated into formal education curriculum to improve the MIL of Ghana’s youth.
This study examines the integration of epistemological beliefs, the IFLA checklist for evaluating news credibility, and the News Verifier, an AI tool powered by GPT-4, within a teacher training program aimed at enhancing news literacy. It explores the relationship between educators’ epistemological profiles and their ability to classify news using the IFLA checklist. The study also evaluates alignment between human classifications and those generated by the News Verifier, examining the potential of AI as a complementary resource for supporting practice and reflection in news literacy education. Results indicate that consistent application of the checklist improves alignment with AI outputs, although variability persist across profiles. By combining cognitive, conceptual, and technological components, the study demonstrates the potential of integrating frameworks and AI tools to foster critical thinking and media literacy. It suggests that refining AI tools and adapting training approaches can enhance classification consistency and address discrepancies in human-AI alignment, strengthening media literacy education.
Although academic interest in news literacy messages (NLM) has grown, many questions about them remain unresolved. First, it remains unclear how the format of the NLM influences its effectiveness. Second, we still know little about their long-term effectiveness. To answer these questions, this study conducted a two-wave experiment in Belgium. We compared NLMs in the format of a text, an infographic, and video. We also manipulated elements in the false news article that participants had to evaluate. Our findings show that NLMs are effective and that the effects remain over a middle-long period of two weeks. Second, we find that on the short-term infographics are less effective than NLMs in the format of a text or video. In the middle-long term only videos have a significant effect. Lastly, we find suggestive evidence that NLMs work partly because people take over their recommendations, although here we find no differences between formats.
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) education is widely recognized as essential, yet its adoption in Vietnamese K-12 schools is still at the early stages. This study examines the current state of MIL education in Vietnam from the perspective of teachers. Drawing on insights from a trial online MIL teacher training program, which includes teachers’ learning journals, lesson plans, and an open survey using SWOT forms, we explore the approaches they use, the challenges they face, and the opportunities in promoting MIL education in their school setting. Additionally, the findings highlight specific professional development needs to enhance teachers’ MIL instruction quality. Our research provides a comprehensive view of MIL practices in Vietnam and offers insights relevant to other educational systems seeking to integrate MIL. Ultimately, this study sheds light on potential strategies to address common challenges, paving the way for more robust MIL integration in schools.
This study aims to explore the relationship between new media literacy (NML) and online information searching strategy (OISS), focusing on the comparative analysis of Generation Y and Z in terms of gender, educational level, daily internet usage and the most used social media platforms. This research was designed as a cross-sectional survey study. Using a convenience sample method, the participants were composed of Turkish adults representing Generation Y and Z. Demographic Information Form, New Media Literacy Scale, and Online Information Searching Strategy Inventory were conducted. Two-way MANOVA was utilized for analysis. The results indicate the main effects of generation on OISS, and gender on NML were significant. The interaction between generation and gender also played an important role in influencing OISS. The findings further reveal significant main effects of generation on OISS and NML independently in the context of daily internet usage. However, daily internet use differed by only NML. The specific contributions of most used social media and educational level with generational differences were not significant for OISS and NML.
The paper describes specific experiences with educational activities aimed at strengthening media literacy in the field of combating disinformation among primary and secondary school teachers, which were implemented in 2022-2023 through the Central European Digital Media Observatory. A total of 3633 primary and secondary school teachers from all over the Czech Republic participated in the education and evaluated the educational events. The article presents examples of specific educational activities oriented to the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes of students through teaching in primary or secondary school.
Approaches to media literacy education have developed over time in response to cultural understandings and the development of new media digital technologies. One approach that extends on current Media Arts approaches to media literacy is the Creative Participation approach. Underpinning this approach is an emphasis on how young people work together to make meaning through the process of production. The Creative Participation approach draws on the theory of Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998) and the concept of participatory culture (Jenkins, 2006) to support the assertion that young people, through shared practices, the generation of meaning through media artworks, and through their connection with each other, can develop media literacy through critical production-based practices. This study reports on the findings of three case studies where the teachers and students enacted the approach or where, at times, the approach could be strengthened to ensure a robust media literacy education for all students.
Social Media Information Literacy (SMIL) is increasingly important as social media platforms evolve. SMIL includes skills for navigating, evaluating, managing, creating, and engaging with social media content, aimed at effective information use and critical thinking. Using Heiss, Nanz and Matthes (2023) framework, this study surveyed 410 students via a self-assessment on a 5-point Likert scale. Results indicate students rated their SMIL as average, with the highest scores in appraisal and comprehension, and the lowest in digital creation. Female and senior students, as well as those in Education majors, rated themselves higher. Longer internet usage correlated with better SMIL, especially in digital creation and interaction. These findings inform strategies for enhancing SMIL, aiding universities in shaping effective digital literacy programs.
This article introduces Productive Disruptions as a framework for civic media literacy that centers equity and social justice. Past scholarship has emphasized understanding media content and gaining competence in media production. To center equity as a structural concern beyond individual behaviors, we argue for media literacy interventions that support disrupting racism in content, production, and digital media distribution systems themselves. Drawing on an ethnographic case study with young people experiencing marginalization, we examine how youth productively disrupted instances of systemic racism via TikTok and Instagram. We identify three distinct modes of intervention: creating counter-narratives that disrupt racist discourses, subverting adult-led pedagogical norms to foster youth agency, and sabotaging the individualizing logics of social media platforms through collective account management. We argue that this framework offers educators a way to design and assess civic media literacy interventions that foreground collectivity and structural critique, consistent with decolonial and abolitionist goals for a more equitable society.
Social media is inundated with radical and extreme propaganda. Such information is often left unfiltered due to platform algorithms that are economically driven and socially unethical in design. It puts social media users, mostly youth, in danger of becoming radicalized and vulnerable to supporting and engaging with extremist beliefs. When young people lack sufficient critical social media literacy (CSML), radical and extremist information impacts their perspectives, affecting behavior in the real world. A PRISMA-guided systematic review of the Web of Science core collections and the Scopus database was used to find peer-reviewed articles about how CSML skills can be used to prevent and counter violent extremism (P/CVE). The thematic analysis of selected articles concludes that CSML is an essential skill for youth in the face of radical and extremist misuse of social media. The trio of platforms, governments, and users have shared responsibility to inculcate CSML skills among users engaging with social media.
This paper offers a theoretical reflection on the evolving landscape of automated media, focusing on how automation and so-called Artificial Intelligence (AI) are reshaping traditional media-related practices and the competences required for media literacy. It examines how automated media technologies, such as recommendation algorithms and generative AI, might reshape the critical skills necessary to navigate a complex digital ecosystem. By framing AI-driven media practices through a social-action perspective and treating media as human activities, we argue that media literacy models should encompass competences related to the operation of computational automata, particularly through the management of inbound and outbound information flows. We propose three categories of operative tasks: implementation, orchestration, and evaluation. In the remainder of this article, we apply the aforementioned theoretical framework to discuss significant challenges for media literacy education. By doing so, we aim to underscore how automated media are reshaping user agency, content creation, and human-machine interaction.
The goal of this study was to address persistent challenges in assessing media literacy by reviewing assessments developed between 2011 and 2020. We combined landscape analysis, research synthesis, and grounded theory to select assessments, identify key attributes, iteratively code, analyze, and create an integrated synthesis of approaches to media literacy assessments. The analysis classified media literacy constructs by learning dimension (knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors) and participation mode (consumption, engagement, creation). The results showed that while most assessments focused on consumption-oriented constructs, engagement- and creation-oriented constructs were also included. Assessments primarily served three research purposes: evaluating media literacy levels in populations, measuring intervention effectiveness, and exploring relationships with related competencies. Media literacy has been assessed across a variety of domains including journalism, civic education, health communication, and advertising. We discuss the importance of adapting assessments to specific research contexts, goals, and constraints, and argue for a more systematic approach to assessment design based on the relationships among constructs, methods, purposes, and domains.
This article examines the pedagogical potential of Indigenous-created genre film—specifically, Jeff Barnaby’s Rhymes for Young Ghouls (Barnaby, 2013)—in promoting critical engagement with the legacies of colonial violence in Canada. Drawing on Susan Dion’s (2009) concept of the perfect stranger and film activist Ariel Smith’s analysis of Indigenous horror cinema, the study examines how three educators responded to the film and reflected on its curricular applications. Using constructivist grounded theory and cultural studies frameworks, the research reveals both the transformative promise and institutional constraints of integrating emotionally intense media into classroom settings. Findings suggest that while the film evokes affective responses conducive to decolonial learning, educators must navigate bureaucratic, cultural, and ethical challenges to achieve this goal. Ultimately, the article argues that Indigenous genre film can catalyze critical media literacy and relational accountability when scaffolded with care, reflection, and contextually grounded pedagogical strategies.
in social movements. Within contemporary contexts, media is an important site through which campus student leaders raise awareness, share relevant information, distribute online petitions, and shape public discourses on various social issues. Media literacy is an essential skill for student leaders to be effective in their activist initiatives and be able to cope with the inevitable pushback through trolling and cyberbullying that such activism would likely bring up. This survey (N = 855) with college student leaders across three universities explores how they rate themselves on media literacy skills, how well they understand the risks involved with media activism, and what types of community support they see as having to cope with such risks. Specifically, we used the identity, skills, risks and opportunity framework of the EU Online Kids model to examine how participants’ social identities (such as political orientation, race, social class, and gender) and self-reported perceptions of media literacy shaped their perceptions of online risk, likelihood to engage in media activism, and social support-seeking behaviors. Findings suggest a central role played by perceived media literacy skills in influencing likelihood to engage in media activism and social support seeking during negative online experiences. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
This research aims to explore students’ perspectives on their use of ChatGPT during a media analysis project in a media literacy (ML) course. Additionally, it investigates what the assigned media literacy project has contributed to them. Qualitative analysis results from 48 students indicated that they believed their media analysis positively contributed to their media awareness of messages, media genres, social justice, technical aspects, and analytical skills, such as inquiry and creativity. Many students appreciate ChatGPT, noting that it encourages learning across disciplines through deep searches and dialogues with the tool. They especially appreciate its contribution when they compare the results of their own analysis with those generated by ChatGPT. However, some students highlight negative aspects such as hindering learning. The results of this research are expected to provide suggestions for using AI applications like ChatGPT to enhance student skills in media analysis through gaining critical media habits in ML courses.
This article analyzes the experience of Verificatón, a teaching innovation project based on a live fact-checking hackathon aimed at identifying and combating disinformation in the electoral context. The initiative, developed by the fact-checking media outlet Newtral in collaboration with nine Spanish universities, brought together a hundred journalism students. The results show that this experience facilitates the adoption of the fact-checking methodology in the students' professional practice and contributes to overcoming the competency gap in university journalism education. The case study validates this training proposal, which, framed within an electoral scenario, reinforces students’ learning of the role of critical thinking in the face of disinformation.
Scholars have long emphasized the harmful effects of overtly sexist and oppressive media images on young people’s understandings of sex and relationships. Yet, this emphasis on explicit harm leaves a gap in understanding how college students interpret subtle, hidden, and ambiguous media messages. To address this gap, we asked 196 California college students at a large public university to critique a range of mainstream media content— from overtly oppressive, to affirming of nondominant gender identities, to containing mixed messages about empowerment and oppression. Responses were coded using our media literacy scoring guide for assessing students’ ability to critically analyze media messages about sex and relationships. Results showed that students were most familiar with and adept at evaluating sexualized celebrity media content. They struggled when images featured unknown models conveying mixed or ambiguous messages, such as a scene that could be read as a mutual kiss while also reinforcing dominant beauty and attractiveness ideals. These findings, alongside the proposed scoring guide, offer a framework for strengthening critical media literacy education and research that addresses how meaning is constructed through ambiguity, contradiction, and subtle cues in everyday media texts.
The digital transformation creates new demands on reading and writing. This entails the expansion of the goals of content literacy to explicitly include the development of digital reading and writing skills. The study explores how a social media project at a school in Germany supports students in developing digital language competencies. In the civics education project politik.informiert (informed politics), students create and share political content via an Instagram channel. The qualitative case study, based on observations and interviews, finds that the project offers rich opportunities for digital reading and writing, especially in researching information, evaluating sources, and producing audience oriented digital texts. At the same time, the project is characterized by a highly open, constructivist learning environment in which students work independently. The research presented here can serve as inspiration for other content areas seeking to broaden their goals of content literacy in the context of digital transformation.
The paper presents an innovative approach to teaching digital literacy to eighty-two B.A. communication students, focusing on artificial intelligence (AI). Over a semester, students developed proficiency in using AI tools for content creation while exploring their ethical implications. The course integrated practical skills with ethical considerations, providing hands-on experience with AI platforms and facilitating critical discussions on issues such as AI biases. For their final projects, students created social media campaigns using AI tools, accompanied by introspective reports on their creative process and ethical reflections. We aimed to equip future communication professionals with skills to navigate AI-driven content creation responsibly. By emphasizing the integration of advanced tools with social and critical awareness, our work contributes to AI training in higher education, particularly for communication and media studies.
