MILA and the News Literacy Network (NLN) have been jointly preparing the ground for a new initiative to advocate for media and information literacy in the UK. Our aim is to set up a loose coalition of organisations interested in working together to influence public policy in the context of major developments such as the Curriculum and Assessment Review for schools in the England, the House of Lords report on media literacy and the media and information literacy implications of the lowering of the voting age to sixteen. We draw from MILA’s experience, earlier this year, in coordinating a joint response, signed by 14 organisations, to the Review’s interim report.
On 4 September, MILA and NLN convened an initial online meeting to explore the potential for setting up such a coalition. Representatives from 24 organisations (listed below) took part. The meeting suggested that there is clearly an appetite for such an initiative, with many ideas emerging for practical actions. Key points raised during the discussion and breakout sessions included:
Collaboration is timely and necessary: there is a strong feeling that now is a critical moment for media and information literacy owing to recent developments such as those outlined above. A unified, stronger voice for the sector would be beneficial. Other literacies such as AI literacy and digital literacy are also key areas of focus.
Positive but cautious outlook: there is a general sense of optimism about the potential for progress, but also a healthy dose of scepticism regarding the slow pace of change from government and the risk of initiatives being too fragmented or lacking long-term government ownership.
Diverse, but overlapping, efforts: organisations are already engaged in a wide range of activities, including submitting evidence to official inquiries, running on-the-ground programmes in schools, and engaging with policymakers. The collective acknowledged that these individual efforts are vital and that any collaborative work should not replace or supersede them.
Key areas for collaboration: several specific ideas for collaboration were discussed, including:
o Creating a joint response to the upcoming Curriculum and Assessment Review recommendations, expected in the coming weeks.
o Establishing a central, collaborative repository of MIL resources and programmes.
o Running a joint in-person event, focusing on networking and action-planning rather than formal presentations.
o Coordinating responses to government policy and advocacy campaigns to ensure consistent messaging.
o Addressing specific topics like AI literacy and the role of parents in media literacy education.
Focus on a shared purpose: a strong desire was expressed to work together on defining a shared set of goals, values, and potentially a theory of change for the coalition to ensure a clear and consistent message when engaging with policymakers and the public.
Practical considerations: participants acknowledged the need to consider the capacity and resources of member organisations, particularly with regard to funding, logistics for in-person events, and the time commitment required for collaboration.
Suggested next steps
Based on the discussion, the following next steps have been proposed to move the collaboration forward:
Create a collaborative communication channel: a dedicated LinkedIn group should be established to facilitate quick, informal communication and sharing of opportunities, such as upcoming events or new policy announcements.
Formalise the coalition’s focus: a small subset of committed members will work together to define clearly the shared values, strategic priorities, and key messages that the coalition will champion. This will help to ensure a consistent and powerful voice.
Develop joint statement/s: an immediate priority is to draft a joint response to the forthcoming Curriculum and Assessment Review recommendations. Volunteers to help draft and refine this statement are welcome. There is also potential to do the same in response to the upcoming government response (due on 3 October) to the House of Lords media literacy report.
Plan an in-person event: We will explore the possibility of organising a networking and planning event for early next year. The aims could be: to review the proposed coalition theory of change and key messaging and values; discussing some of the bigger ideas such as a joint party conference event and public campaign; reviewing the coalition’s activities so far.
These steps are designed to build on the momentum from the meeting and channel the collective energy into concrete, impactful actions. If you have any further suggestions, please reply to media.infolit.alliance@gmail.com .
Organisations represented at the online meeting on 4 September
The 24 following organisations took part in our event. Other organisations had expressed an interest but were not able to attend on the day, so the list of potential interested parties is longer than those present on this occasion. Please feel free to contact us at the above address if you are not in this list but would like to join our collective endeavour.
Association for Citizenship Teaching
CILIP
CILIP School Libraries Group
Common Sense
Connected by Data
Connect Futures
Demos
Economist Educational Foundation
First News
Full Fact
Guardian Foundation
Internet Matters
Into Film
Liverpool John Moores University
Media Education Association
MILA
Molly Rose Foundation
National Literacy Trust
News Literacy Lab
News Literacy Network
Ofcom
Parent Zone
PSHE Association
Shout Out UK
