Brussels, 09/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 6 October, the European Commission launched a public consultation process on “media literacy”, that is, the ability to judge the true merit of media content and make conscious choices. In particular, the survey is seeking the public's views on media literacy in connection with digital technologies, and information about initiatives in commercial communications, film and the online world. The deadline for replies is 15 December, after which the Commission will present its conclusions and its proposals in a communication during the course of 2007.
New technologies make it ever easier for anyone to publish, broadcast or communicate. At the same time, it has become ever more essential to be able to extract meaning from the various media messages that bombard the public daily. The aim of media literacy is the acquisition of these skills, the ability to access, analyse and evaluate the power of images, sounds and messages. Media literacy thus helps everyone recognise how the media filter perceptions and beliefs shape popular culture and influence personal choices. It empowers citizens with the critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills to make them judicious consumers and producers of content, says the Commission. Media literacy also supports freedom of expression and the right to information. It contributes, too, to better regulation because a media-literate society is one that is empowered to make its own judgments and choices, and hence is less in need of detailed protective rules. These skills have to be nurtured, and finding the means to do so is one of the goals of the consultation questionnaire, says the Commission. This questionnaire has four sections: the first contains general questions about media literacy while the other three collect information about initiatives and projects in commercial communications, audiovisual works and the online world. (il)