The conference focused on exploring and discussing initiatives and projects that can contribute to making Media and Information Literacy (MIL) a tool for promoting global understanding and peace. It highlighted the need for media and journalism to dissolve prejudices and stereotypes that foster hatred and confrontation, and to advance mutual understanding between different countries and social groups by combating misinformation and hate speech. Special emphasis was also placed on the need to foster inter-religious dialogue as a necessary condition for global understanding.

The main outcome of the conference was the adoption of a declaration for global understanding that summarises the points that will be disseminated internationally during the summer months of this year and a concrete action programme that will be shaped throughout 2024.

The declaration is available on the official website of the International Media & Information Literacy Institute in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

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This UNITWIN Network is composed of universities from different geographical areas: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), University of the West Indies (Jamaica), Cairo University (Egypt), University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), Temple University (USA), Tsinghua University (China), Moulay Ismail University (Morocco), Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University (Morocco), University of Guadalajara (Mexico), Western University (Canada), University of Gothenburg (Sweden), Sorbonne Nouvelle University (France), Punjabi University, Patiala (India), University of the South Pacific (Fiji), University of South Africa (South Africa), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (Nigeria), Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria), Lagos State University (Nigeria), University of Jors (Nigeria), University of Calabar (Nigeria), Hosei University (Japan), University of Latvia (Latvia), Moscow Pedagogical State University (Russia), Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios UNIMINUTO (Colombia), Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania), MICA (India), University of Campinas (Brazil).

The main objectives of the Network are to foster collaboration among member universities, to build capacity in each of the countries in order to empower them to advance media and information literacy and intercultural dialogue, and to promote freedom of speech, freedom of information and the free flow of ideas and knowledge. Specific objectives include acting as an observatory for the role of media and information literacy (MIL) in promoting civic participation, democracy and development as well as enhancing intercultural and cooperative research on MIL. The programme also aims at promoting global actions related to MIL and intercultural dialogue. In such a context, a MILID Yearbook series is an important initiative.

The MILID Yearbook 2021 is a result of a collaboration between UNESCO UNITWIN Cooperation Programme on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue, The Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios – UNIMINUTO (Colombia) and the University of Gothenburg (Sweden).

Click here to consult the MILID Yearbook 2021.

The post “MIL Cities and MIL Citizens: Informed, Engaged, Empowered by Media and Information Literacy (MIL)” | MILID Yearbook 2021 appeared first on MIL Institute.

The book, divided into three parts: (I) MIL Augmenting Information Freedom and Knowledge Status, (II) MIL and the Different Actors and Situations of Learning and (III) MIL Providing New Opportunities, compiles a series of articles on fake news, hate speech, intercultural dialogue, education, gender equality and media literacy.

“During the second decade of the 21st century, humanity has experienced a remarkable shift in the cognitive paradigm. The state of information and knowledge has changed. Until now, information and knowledge were personal and individual matters. They depended on personal skills, individual possibilities to access information and the ability to criticise, process and memorise it. It is true that the so-called knowledge institutions (schools, universities, publishing and media systems, etc.) contributed to providing a concrete environment for people, improving the conditions of information and knowledge. But today, the state of information and knowledge remains unequal, as well as social, collective and global. This is increasingly dependent on computers, robots and complex knowledge production systems; which, in turn, are increasingly automated and autonomous”, introduces José Manuel Pérez Tornero, Director of the UNESCO Chair in Media and Information Literacy for Quality Journalism, in the first part of the book. 

In this first part, José Manuel Pérez Tornero, Santiago Tejedor, Sally Tayie and Cristina Pulido from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain); Juan Sakamoto from Hosei University (Japan); Darwin Franco Migues from the University of Guadalajara (Mexico); Alton Grizzle, UNESCO Programme Specialist in Media and Information Literacy; Sumeer Gul, Saba Ali and Aadil Bashir from Kashmir University, Srinagar (India); Sheikh Shueb from the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora (India); Aabid Hussain from the Department of Information, Srinagar (India); and Tariq Ahmad Shah from Central University of Kashmir, Ganderbal (India).

The second chapter of the book focuses on various actors and learning situations in the framework of media literacy. “Real learning processes always need imagination, commitment and respect among the actors involved, motivation and shared interest in the object to be learned, pedagogical strategies, curiosity, communication and analysis, among other things. But learning also needs a situation in which to develop and be meaningful; a situation in which dialogue between learners flourishes and facilitates understanding of each other’s ideas, positions, expectations and judgements. How to develop productive media and information literacy learning situations in different educational settings is the central purpose of the experiences collected in this section”, says Guillermo Orozco, professor at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, in the introduction to the chapter.

This block contains articles by Spencer Brayton of Waubonsee Community College, Illinois (USA); Natasha Casey and Laura Wiedlocher of Blackburn College, Illinois (USA); Conceicao Costa and Carla Sousa of the CICANT-Lusófona University (Portugal); Kathryn R. Martin Fingar of the University of California Los Angeles (USA); Tessa Jolls of the Center for Media Literacy, Consortium for Media Literacy, Los Angeles (USA); Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj of the University of Lagos (Nigeria); Minna Koponen and Mari Pienimaki of the University of Tampere (Finland); Alexandra Bujokas de Siqueira of the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro (Brazil); and Danilo Rothberg of the São Paulo State University (Brazil).

Finally, the MILID Yearbook 2018/2019 culminates with a chapter that looks to the future and innovation from the new opportunities provided by media literacy. “This third part of the book highlights cases involving formal and informal education, policy-oriented training projects, independent or informal platforms, television content and other powerful MIL studies or projects. The first subsection brings three articles focused on the incorporation of MIL in education policy”, notes Esther Hamburger, professor at the University of São Paulo, Brazil.

Marlene D. Hines, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (Jamaica); Sonia Livingstone, Patrick Burton, Patricio Cabello, Ellen Helsper, Petar Kanchev, Daniel Kardefelt-Winther, Jelena Perovic, Mariya Stoilova, and Ssu-Han Yu of the Global Kids Online (GKO) project; Moira Toledo Cirello from the University of São Paulo (Brazil); Mami Komaya from Jissen Women’s University (Japan); I V Malhan and Archna Katoch from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (India); Emelina Galarza Fernández from the University of Málaga (Spain); Rodrigo Gonzalez-Reyes, José Manuel Corona and Guillermo Orozco from the University of Guadalajara (Mexico); Sherri Hope Culver from Temple University (USA); Ana Pérez-Escoda from Nebrija University (Spain); Rosa García-Ruiz from the University of Cantabria (Spain); Ignacio Aguaded from the University of Huelva (Spain); Vedabhyas Kundu from the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi (India).

The main objectives of the UNITWIN network are to foster collaboration between member universities, to build capacity in each country to empower them to promote media and information literacy and intercultural dialogue, and to support freedom of expression, freedom of information and the free flow of ideas and knowledge.

Specific objectives include acting as an observatory of the role of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in promoting civic participation, democracy and development, as well as enhancing intercultural and cooperative research on MIL. The programme also aims to promote global actions related to MIL and intercultural dialogue. In this context, each MILID Yearbook represents an important initiative to promote and advance these objectives.

Consult the MILID Yearbook 2018/2019 here.

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The year 2015 is a pivotal year as it marks the end of the period during which the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were to be reached and the year in which new global development targets are to be set.

The MILID Yearbook 2015 provides a case for media and information literacy (MIL) as a tool for open and inclusive sustainable development. It draws on research findings, theories and practices of MIL, and developments focusing on the theme identified for the 2015 MILID Yearbook: Media and Information Literacy for the Sustainable Development Goals.

This third MILID Yearbook is a joint initiative of the UNESCO-UNAOC University Cooperation Programme on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) published by Nordicom’s International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media.

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This first seminar is also part of the work of the UNESCO MILID network to develop a Global MIL Research Agenda (MIL Research Agenda) 2024-2028. This agenda is an initiative of the “UNITWIN Cooperation Programme on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue” of UNESCO, together with the MIL Alliance and the many UNESCO Chairs, as well as entities and projects working in the sector in relation to the Organization; and its mission is to become a vector that facilitates the connection between the field of research and the field of social and political action in media literacy. In this sense, it is emerging as a conceptual framework of reference that will allow researchers, public policy makers and other actors in the sector to share experiences and knowledge and to make concrete efforts.

The UAB’s Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación is also working along the same lines, and many of its initiatives aim to offer resources for raising awareness and promoting media literacy in a wide variety of journalistic and non-journalistic scenarios. Initiatives such as the project “CrAL – Creative Audiovisual Lab for the promotion of critical thinking and media literacy”, which, together with five European institutions, strives to provide the educational community with the necessary tools to combat insufficient media literacy, cultivate students’ critical thinking and help them understand the responsibility and power of their voice.

The initial meeting in Bellaterra served, then, to elaborate this first research agenda for Spain and its results will contribute to the elaboration of the subsequent global agenda. The ten research challenges identified by the experts during the meeting were the following:

• The impact of the media environment on children and youth: benefits, risks and MIL policies.

• MFA and public space, the future of democracy.

• Equality, equity and social inclusion in the new media environment.

• MIL information and quality content.

• Education, training and MIL policies.

• The impact of AI.

• The need to update the conceptual framework of MIL.

• MIL as a driver of a new intercultural dialogue.

• Governance and transparency and the development of media technology.

• The need to develop a new system for transferring MIL research to society.

In this sense, José Manuel Pérez Tornero, Professor of Journalism and Director of the UNESCO Chair in Media and Information Literacy and Quality Journalism, urged to continue working to ‘refound’ the framework of media and information literacy. “The last decades have seen decisive changes in the media environment that we have not yet been able to assimilate: the digital transformation, the irruption of the Internet and the web, artificial intelligence, the successive crises of capitalism, climate change, the transformation of production, etc. Therefore, the object of research, theoretical approaches, concepts and working methods have to be renewed and adapted to the challenges of this new situation. If we work together, we will succeed. The Global MIL Research Agenda is the best way to achieve this”, said Tornero.

José Miguel Túñez López, professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela, highlighted the transdisciplinary nature of the meeting, as well as the need to include the entire population in the objectives of the proposed initiatives: “MIL is a necessity in all social strata and needs a progressive knowledge that raises it from a necessity to a preferential focus of action in the design and execution of public policies that allow the projection of more egalitarian societies and help to re-understand the emerging values that support the concept of public value”.

Dr. Carmen Marta Lazo, Professor of Journalism and Director of the Predepartmental Unit of Journalism and Audiovisual Communication and Advertising at the University of Zaragoza, highlighted the growing awareness of the need for media literacy and pointed to the incursion of artificial intelligence, social inequalities and the consequences for mental health as the main challenges to be faced in the coming years. “The digital divide in different typologies (age, territorial and social) makes it difficult for all vulnerable groups to participate in e-administration and in the e-administration and digital culture in a solvent way, which has repercussions on social inequalities”, said Lazo.

Juan Francisco Jiménez Jacinto, Director of the Department of Communication at the Universitat Abad Oliba CEU, insisted on the need for the Academy to serve as a reference and provide solutions to achieve the objectives of the MIL Agenda. “The main contributions should come from research that defines the magnitude of the challenges we face, presenting an accurate map of the reality in order to address targeted solutions’ and added ‘Dissemination is key in the visibility of the advances that the Academy determines so that there is an effective transfer of knowledge to citizens”.

Santiago Tejedor, director of the Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación of the UAB, agreed on the importance of forging an alliance between universities, researchers and teachers from all over Spain to “promote work to redefine the strategies that address media literacy”. “The new contexts and new technological developments, led by AI, demand networking, collaboration, horizontal and multidisciplinary work. Added to this is the importance of taking advantage of all the work carried out in previous decades, which is of great value, but which requires new reflections”, added Tejedor at the end of his speech.

In addition to the aforementioned professionals, the meeting was attended by: Andrés Armas from Alfa-Media, Javier Marzal from the University Jaume I of Castellón, Dr. Félix Ortega from the University of Salamanca, Almudena Barrientos from the Complutense University of Madrid, Bella Palomo from the University of Málaga, Simón Peña, Amor Pérez, Rosa Franquet, Juan José Perona, Evaristo González and the researchers of the Gabinete Cristina Pulido and Besanya Santiago.

After the success of this first meeting, the Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación, through its projects and initiatives, and the UNESCO MILID Unitwin Cooperation Programme, together with teachers, communicators and journalists from different Spanish organisations, will continue working to strengthen the establishment of media literacy policies and initiatives that help to develop the critical capacity of citizens and respect for democratic values.

The Gabinete de Comunicación y de Educación is a consolidated group specialised in scientific research and dissemination, which belongs to the Department of Journalism and Communication Sciences of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Recognised by AGAUR(Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca) of the Generalitat de Catalunya as a Consolidated Research Group on the basis of its trajectory, projection and development, it develops projects and research in the field of convergence between communication and education. Since its creation, it has developed initiatives aimed at integrating, with awareness and freedom, communication technologies in the so-called global or knowledge society. Under the direction of Santiago Tejedor, the Gabinete organises different Master’s Degrees, such as the Master’s Degree in Travel Journalism (on-site and online), the Master’s Degree in Communication and Education, the Master’s Degree in Environmental Communication and the Master’s Degree in Political and Electoral Communication Management. The group has a wide and varied collection of publications, in the form of scientific articles, books and book chapters, and other works, which is constantly being renewed. It also has a laboratory for teaching innovation projects, transfer and new formats that are conceived and developed from a perspective based on creativity and multidisciplinary work.

The Gabinete organises every year an academic expedition that travels around the world with students from different universities and careers. This is the Tahina-Can Expedition, which has been awarded as the best educational project in Spain. It also has the portal Tu Aventura, the educational platform InfoEDU and the newsgames and science project Reporter@s de la Ciencia.

The post CrAL Project and UNESCO MILID Unitwin Cooperation Program present the MIL Research Agenda 2024-2028 | Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación (UAB) appeared first on MIL Institute.

The MILID Yearbok 2014 brings together a range of reviewed articles, which articulate the theme of global citizenship from varied perspectives and regions of the world. The articles represent different expressions on media and information literacy from researchers and practitioners, who offer bold new strategies, share research findings and best practices, musing and reflections.

The Yearbook is organized around five sections: Global citizenship; New media, new approaches; Youth engagement; Education and educators’ changing role, Media and information literacy: A worldwide selection from the UNITWIN partners.

This second yearbook, MILID Yearbook 2014, is the result of a collaboration between the UNITWIN Cooperation Programme on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) and NORDICOM’s International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media.

Click here to access the online version of the MILID Yearbook 2014.

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This UNITWIN Network is composed of eight universities from different geographical areas. The main objectives of the Network are to foster collaboration among member universities, to build capacity in each of the countries in order to empower them to advance media and information literacy and intercultural dialogue, and to promote freedom of speech, freedom of information and the free flow of ideas and knowledge.

Specific objectives include acting as an observatory for the role of media and information literacy (MIL) in promoting civic participation, democracy and development as well as enhancing intercultural and cooperative research on MIL. The programme also aims at promoting global actions related to MIL and intercultural dialogue.

In such a context, a MILID Yearbook series is an important initiative. This first MILID Yearbook is a result of a collaboration between the UNITWIN Cooperation Programme on Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue, and the International Clearinghouse on Children, Youth and Media at NORDICOM, University of Gothenburg.

Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue are printed in a limited edition. It can also be downloaded here as a PDF, free of cost.

The post “Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue” | MILID Yearbook 2013 appeared first on MIL Institute.

Over the next few years, Pérez Tornero will be responsible for coordinating and energising the work aimed at meeting UNESCO’s objectives in this area and within the medium-term strategy (2029), especially through the contributions of the research groups and universities with which UNESCO maintains relations around the world.

These objectives include the defence and promotion of freedom of expression and the right to information; the search for inclusion in the processes of digital transformation through equity in the acquisition of skills; the development of ethical standards, standards of conduct and self-regulatory codes for public media and social networks; and the fight against disinformation and fake news that jeopardise human rights and democracy.

Special emphasis will be placed on artificial intelligence and its new applications in various fields.

The main task of the different teams coordinated by Dr. Pérez Tornero will be: the promotion of public policies for media and digital literacy; the socio-cultural, ethical and political challenge represented by the emergence of deep artificial intelligence; and quality journalism. All of this, within the framework of intercultural understanding and always with the goal of achieving peace.

UNESCO will approve the research agenda on these topics during the Global MIL Week to be held in October 2023 in Amman, Jordan. And the launch of the main developments will be presented in March 2024 in Alexandria, Egypt, on the occasion of the conference on the theme of Global Understanding.

In leading the MILID programme, Dr Pérez Tornero will have three focal points: UNESCO Paris; Lagos (Nigeria) and Sao Paulo (Brazil). There, he will be supported by specialists Dr. Alton Grizzle, Dr. Suraj Ojnufilesi and Dr. Esther Hamburger.

Dr. Pérez Tornero, who currently directs the UNESCO Chair at the UAB, has been working with the United Nations agency on audiovisual public service and media literacy for more than 30 years.

He has carried out missions in countries such as Thailand, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, France, Turkey, Qatar, Morocco, Mexico, Peru, Dominican Republic, India, among others. He has also been part of the EU expert group on media literacy. He has led European initiatives and research aimed at guiding European legislation on media literacy and promoting digital and media literacy in different countries.  Recently, he has been particularly active on issues related to artificial intelligence and disinformation. In these fields, he has worked intensively in relation to countries such as Portugal, Italy, Baltic countries, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, etc.

In his media responsibilities, Dr. Pérez Tornero has been president of RTVE (a position for which he was elected by more than two thirds of the parliament). In that role, he made progress in the consolidation of the workforce, technological innovation, internationalisation and cultural production. He has also been a board member of the EBU, and president of COPEAM (Rome), board member of the Association of Cultural and Educational Televisions of Ibero-America (Mexico), and vice-president of the Association of Discovery Televisions (Paris).

Dr. Pérez Tornero’s lines of research have evolved from semiotics and discourse criticism, political economy and communication and education, to artificial intelligence, audiovisual public space and media literacy.  On all these topics he has published more than 100 scientific articles in several languages.

He is the author of more than thirty books, including: La gran mediatización, Media literacy and new Humanism, Tribus urbanas, La televisión educativa, Comunicación y educación en la sociedad de la información, La seducción de la opulencia, among others, etc.

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The students will have the opportunity to get to know the surroundings of Barcelona and interact with students from the Catalan university, while strengthening their skills in the field of multimedia content production.

The UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs programme, the Global Alliance for Media and Information Literacy Partnerships (UNESCO MIL Alliance) and the UAB Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación are organising this academic exchange with the aim of fostering intercultural dialogue between Egyptian and Barcelona students and promoting spaces for the development of critical thinking, creativity and cooperation.

The Gabinete de Comunicación y de Educación is a consolidated group specialised in scientific research and dissemination, which belongs to the Department of Journalism and Communication Sciences of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Recognised by AGAUR(Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca) of the Generalitat de Catalunya as a Consolidated Research Group on the basis of its trajectory, projection and development, it develops projects and research in the field of convergence between communication and education. Since its creation, it has developed initiatives aimed at integrating, with awareness and freedom, communication technologies in the so-called global or knowledge society. Under the direction of Santiago Tejedor, the Gabinete organises different Master’s Degrees, such as the Master’s Degree in Travel Journalism (on-site and online), the Master’s Degree in Communication and Education, the Master’s Degree in Environmental Communication and the Master’s Degree in Political and Electoral Communication Management. The group has a wide and varied collection of publications, in the form of scientific articles, books and book chapters, and other works, which is constantly being renewed. It also has a laboratory for teaching innovation projects, transfer and new formats that are conceived and developed from a perspective based on creativity and multidisciplinary work.

The Gabinete organises every year an academic expedition that travels around the world with students from different universities and careers. This is the Tahina-Can Expedition, which has been awarded as the best educational project in Spain. It also has the portal Tu Aventura, the educational platform InfoEDU and the newsgames and science project Reporter@s de la Ciencia.

The post MILID Autumn School 2023 | Unitwin-UNESCO Chairs, UNESCO MIL Alliance & Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación (UAB) appeared first on MIL Institute.