In March, the House of Lords Digital & Communications Committee launched an inquiry into media literacy. Drawing from Ofcom findings that only 45% of UK adults are confident they can judge whether sources of information are truthful, the inquiry seeks to establish a clear vision for what good media literacy would look like in the UK, and examines the barriers to achieving this vision. The inquiry is considering the roles and responsibilities of the government, industry and regulators in advancing media literacy, aiming to identify and prioritise the key actions required to enhance media literacy skills across the population.
MILA has now submitted a response to the inquiry, available by clicking on the link below.
MILA response to inquiry into media literacy
Our response addresses the seven broad questions set by the Committee in its call for evidence. In particular, we stress why media and information literacy are important to society and why it imperatively needs to feature prominently in the education of young people. We consider the state of media literacy policy and practice in the UK, including the limitations and challenges of current approaches.
At time of writing, the inquiry is ongoing, with several oral evidence sessions having already taken place. We do not yet know when the Committee will complete its work, but we expect to see a full report from the inquiry in due course.
