Digital Media Literacy in EDMO Round Table: CEDMO

Who are the leading players in the CEDMO region (Czechia, Slovakia and Poland) when it comes to promoting media literacy?

Lucie Šťastná:

The situation in the individual countries involved in the CEDMO project is a little different. As far as the Czech Republic is concerned, there is a lack of significant state support for the development of media literacy. Although media education is still part of the compulsory curriculum, it is up to teachers and schools how much space they devote to it. Curriculum documents have also been revised for several years, and media education does not have a very strong position in these discussions, so the question is what form it will take in the future. Due to the not too great interest of the state, universities and non-profit organizations are becoming the key players in the development of media literacy. In particular, university experts from Prague’s Charles University (Faculty of Social Sciences), Brno’s Masaryk University (Faculty of Social Studies) and Olomouc’s Palacký University (Faculty of Pedagogy) strive for basic research in this area, but also for media education in practice. For example, students of the University of Brno founded their own media education project Zvolsiinfo, which helps young people navigate the media and recognize disinformation. The Olomouc team, on the other hand, is made up of experts and doctoral students who are trying to educate on current issues related to media education – e.g. security issues, disinformation, and most recently artificial intelligence.

Among the Czech non-profit organizations, the strongest player is probably One World in Schools, a project of the non-profit organization People in Need, which organizes conferences, training sessions and creates didactic materials, as well as, for example, campaigns such as Media Education Weeks. In addition to this large organization, however, there are many small non-profit organizations that together will also do a great job, they may be targeted at specific target groups (e.g. the Elpida non-profit organization providing education for seniors) or topics (e.g. Faketicky focusing on the education of children and teachers). Moreover, the private sector (e.g. Seznam.cz) or various foundations are also involved in supporting the development of media literacy (e.g. the O2 Foundation supports projects focused on internet safety, The Kellner Family Foundation implements projects supporting critical literacy and critical thinking through reading and writing).

Viera Kačinová:

One of the main institutional actors in the development of initiatives and activities in the field of media literacy in Slovakia is currently the Council for Media Services, the national regulator for audiovisual media services, which is legally competent in this area. Also in view of the obligation to submit a regular overview report to the European Commission on activities aimed at promoting media literacy in the country, it is in its interest to monitor the activities of various organisations in this field. The key actors are brought together in “The Media Literacy+ Platform“, which the Council also initiated in 2023. It is made up of institutional and personal experts from various sectors of society, from academia, government institutions and the third sector, who are actively engaged in the topic. The Platform also serves as a tool for coordinating and promoting greater cooperation between the different segments. In the academic environment, the Faculty of Mass Media Communication of the University of St. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, which has set up the International Media Literacy Centre as well as the Internet platform www.medialnavychova.sk for this purpose, has been developing long-term and systematic initiatives in the country aimed at the development of media literacy among a broad target group. It is also the only one in Slovakia to offer a separate accredited study programme at three levels of higher education focused on media education, and thus comprehensively prepares professionals in this field. Among the state institutions, it is mainly National Institute of Education and Youth which is responsible for curriculum anchoring of media education within school education and implementation of supporting educational programmes for teachers in this field. There is also an extremely active civil society sector in the country at the moment. To name but a few are the initiatives of the institution for promoting digital citizenship “Digital Intelligence – digiQ”, or „Zmudri.sk“ and its video courses for schools, teachers and students, focusing on several areas of media education, specifically promoting the development of critical thinking.

Karina Stasiuk-Krajewska:

As for the situation in Poland, the leading players are NGOs (for example Demagog), professional associations (for example the Polish Association of PR) and also local government units.

Do you have any idea as to how media-literate people in this region are generally? Are there any types of measures that can be used to assess this over time?

Lucie Šťastná:

If I were to start again, several studies were conducted in the past in the Czech Republic mapping the media literacy of the Czech population. The Radio and Television Broadcasting Council has the main initiative in this, as it is its duty by law. Thus, once every 5 years (so far 2011, 2016 and 2021) it commissions research monitoring various areas of media literacy, unfortunately in each of the years mentioned the analysis was carried out by a different team of researchers in a slightly different way, so the results are difficult to compare over time. The results of the latest research from 2021 show that the level of media literacy of the population over 15 years old reaches the number 49 out of 100. Researchers from the Palacký University in Olomouc and the Stemmark agency created a point evaluation of the respondents’ answers so that they could calculate the total score. They monitored media literacy through 4 sub-areas, in each of which the scores differed: 1. Access and use of media (69.8), 2. Analysis and evaluation of media (52.5), 3. Reflection on media (56.0), 4. Production (21.1). It can be expected that the Council will repeat this research in 2026 and we will see how the Czech population has shifted again. In addition to research initiated by the Council, there are other sub-researches focused on media literacy, for example, on certain areas of media literacy or specific groups. For example, research by the Czech School Inspectorate

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 4: Quality Education
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles.
• SDG 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements.
• SDG 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Media literacy level of the population over 15 years old (mentioned in the article as reaching a score of 49 out of 100)
• Access and use of media (score of 69.8 out of 100)
• Analysis and evaluation of media (score of 52.5 out of 100)
• Reflection on media (score of 56.0 out of 100)
• Production of media (score of 21.1 out of 100)

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Note: The indicators mentioned in the article are specific to measuring media literacy levels and are not directly linked to the SDG targets.

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Source: edmo.eu

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