Global Media and Information Literacy Week will be held from 24th to 31st October 2024, ending with a conference in Amman, Jordan, hosted by UNESCO and the Hashemite Kingdom. This week highlights the importance of media and information literacy (MIL) for creating informed and active communities.
This year’s theme is “The New Digital Frontiers of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information.” It will look at how new technologies, like Generative Artificial Intelligence, and digital content creators are changing how public-interest information is shared, focusing on both the benefits and the risks.
Global Media and Information Literacy Week was started by UNESCO in 2011 to help people learn to evaluate information critically. It aims to meet the need for informed citizens in a fast-changing digital world.
Media and information literacy is backed by international laws. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) guarantees the right to express oneself and access information. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) also supports this right, while the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 4 promote education that includes media literacy.
Legal cases show how important media literacy is. In Handyside v. United Kingdom (1976), the European Court of Human Rights said freedom of expression is key to democracy, even for controversial topics. In Times Newspapers Ltd v. United Kingdom (2009), the Court stated that access to information is crucial for public debate.
The upcoming conference in Amman will provide a great chance for participants to take part in meaningful discussions, learn from experts, and discover new ways to work together in media and information literacy
Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2024 is important for encouraging people to develop skills for engaging with media. Promoting media literacy helps create informed societies where everyone can access and evaluate public-interest information effectively.
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