Media organisations from across the globe are uniting to promote media and information literacy (MIL) to help ensure their future survival and win back the trust of audiences.
Thomson is playing a central role in this strategy and is a key contributor to the innovative UNESCO Multimedia Media and Information Literacy Toolkit for Media. Thomson’s expertise about MIL in media prompted invitations to recent workshops and events in Cartagena, Colombia and Mauritius where journalists and media managers shared their experiences of using MIL to connect with audiences, tackle disinformation and safeguard long-term sustainability.
“I think MIL is central to survival for media groups, for newsrooms,” says Pia Ranada, the community lead for the online news organisation, Rappler in the Philippines. Pia took part in a panel discussion moderated by Thomson’s training and communications editor, Catherine Mackie at the UNESCO Global MIL Week conference in Cartagena.
The challenges facing news organisations were illustrated by panellist Fabián Páez López from the EU-funded AGILE project who was also on the panel. He revealed that new audience research in Colombia suggests 60 per cent of independent media in the country aren’t financially sustainable.
Panellists Sam Allan who’s the fundraising and projects coordinator at Maldita in Spain, and James Smart, the managing editor of broadcast and new media for Nation Media Group in Kenya revealed practical measures their organisations employ to make MIL central to their operations.
“The critical thing is for journalists to show what we actually do,” says James Smart who believes that transparency around storytelling processes is one way to help professional journalism stand apart from TikTokers and bloggers.
UNESCO invited Thomson to unveil the unique MIL Toolkit for Media in Cartagena and then present it to the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) conference in Mauritius. Grégoire Ndjaka, the chief executive for the AUB told delegates there that, “what matters most today is applying an ethical code and making an effort to be independent.” Senior editorial leaders from across the continent discussed MIL initiatives that promote transparency, accountability and audience engagement.
Deborah Kelly, Thomson’s director of training and communications says: "We’re beginning to see more newsrooms being creative in their approach to MIL. We look forward to working with more media organisations, exploring how MIL can help engage their audiences and promote long-term media sustainability."
