Build media and information literacy competencies at school to safeguard the future of citizenship and democracy

Group Submission Type: Refereed Roundtable Session

Proposal

Globally, democracy and civic values and rights are under threat as rampant disinformation and misinformation polarizes politics, endangers communities, weakens institutions, and threatens effective and ethical governance, social cohesion, national security, and even public health. So called “information disorder” prevents citizens from making informed decisions, protecting their rights and well-being, and holding their governments accountable. It is a threat to the very foundations of democracy.

At the core of the crisis is the emergence of social and digital media which has enabled manipulative information to be produced at unprecedented scale, speed, and reach. Online it spreads significantly faster, farther, deeper, and more broadly than the truth. The threat of online disinformation continues to escalate: last year 81 countries used social media to spread propaganda and disinformation—a 15 percent increase over the previous year. Youth in particular are vulnerable to online manipulation, in part due to the popularity of social media platforms and critical thinking skills which may not yet be fully developed. Indeed, a recent study found that Americans under 25 were the most likely to believe the Covid-19 virus-related misinformation.

It is time that the education systems joined the efforts to address this threat and recognized competencies needed to navigate and participate in today’s information ecosystem in a healthy, safe, responsible, and empathy driven way – modern media and information literacy – as core 21st century skills. While other solutions such as improved volume of quality journalism, tech plug-ins that monitor, flag, and or take down bad content, fact-checking, platform accountability and regulation are being discussed and tested, education systems are well positioned to lead efforts that build resilience to manipulative information.

This panel will present and discuss what constitutes today’s media and information literacy education, present evidence that it is an effective resilience tool against disinformation that threatens democracy, make an equity case for integrating it into education and discuss several models and best practices of how to do it to maximize impact on students’ information engagement habits, and illustrate these points with both domestic and international examples.

The challenges with today’s information space require competencies that go beyond knowledge and skills; it is a mindset problem. Emotionally engaging, bias-triggering manipulation is one of the most cost-effective tactics of manipulation and fighting it with cross-checking or fact-checking information often fails due to human ability to cherry-pick information that will further confirm existing beliefs, offer validation, and foster a sense of belonging. We need to change the way people interact with an online environment that has been built to be intuitive and behavior-shaping. Modern media literacy does just that. The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) - a leading association in North America recognizes that the purpose of media literacy education is to help individuals of all ages develop the habits of inquiry and skills of expression that they need to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, and active citizens in today’s world. Likewise, recent standards from the RAND Corporation focus on addressing one slice of our broader challenge: media literacy competencies that counter Truth Decay, which they define as the declining reliance on facts and analysis in civic discourse. The standards include such competencies as seeking a complete understanding of the facts, identifying trustworthy sources of information, evaluating the credibility of information and soundness of arguments, and engaging responsibly. IREX – a global practitioner organization that implements over 20 media literacy programs under its global Learn to Discern approach focuses on awareness and cognitive and emotional regulation, as a prerequisite and foundation for knowledge and skills-building such as cross-checking and other skills to recognize dis- and misinformation or “fake news” for this very reason.

Review of global data and experiences from countries such as Sweden and Finland that have battered disinformation from the neighboring Kremlin regime longer than others, indicates that integrating media literacy into educational systems can have positive effects on overall resilience to manipulative and malign influence. In the U.S., media and information literacy has been shown to be an impactful tool in responding to state-sponsored propaganda and in reducing truth decay, the diminishing role that facts, data, and analysis play in political and civil discourse. It has also been shown to improve the ability to evaluate news credibility and critical thinking skills —important components of discerning and rejecting misinformation. IREX’s experience integrating media literacy competencies in Ukraine also shows impact on students’ ability to navigate the information space in a more critical and responsible way, curbing the spread and impact of disinformation.

There are many ways in which education systems can build these modern media literacy competencies. From integration into instruction of multiple subjects at all grade-levels, to updating civic education, to providing high quality electives and extracurricular options, to empowering school librarians to deliver this skill-building, schools have many options. Presenters will discuss the benefits and impact of various ways that schools can play a role. Unfortunately, it is increasingly the case that well-resourced communities/countries/school districts will (and many already do) offer these skills to their members, citizens, and students, deepening divisions. Financial constraints on educational systems in less well-off environments lead to deepening inequity in access to critical thinking and media literacy skills and subsequent vulnerability to manipulative information. The panel will discuss what kinds of solutions can be offered - whether policy and mandates, thoughtful and resonant resources, or trusted local community advocates for equitable access – as key for preventing further fracturing along the “factual” fault lines in societies worldwide.

Sub Unit

• Citizenship and Democratic Education SIG

Chair

• Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, NAMLE

Individual Presentations

• The National Association of Media Literacy Education’s vision for media literacy in education. - Michelle Ciulla Lipkin, NAMLE

• Implementing media literacy education more consistently and equitably to address the urgent need to equip citizens with skills. - Alice Huguet, RAND Corporation

• International experience and lessons learned from building critical information engagement skills through education systems - Katya Vogt, IREX