Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2007)833 - A European approach to media literacy in the digital environment - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2007)833 - A European approach to media literacy in the digital environment. |
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| source | COM(2007)833  |
| date | 20-12-2007 |
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52007DC0833
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions - A European approach to media literacy in the digital environment /* COM/2007/0833 final */
[afbeelding - zie origineel document] COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Contents
- Brussels, 20.12.2007
- 1. MEDIA LITERACY IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT
- 2. A EUROPEAN DEFINITION OF MEDIA LITERACY
- 3. INITIATIVES TO DATE
- 4. MEDIA LITERACY IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT - GOOD PRACTICES
- 4.1. Media literacy for commercial communication
- 4.2. Media Literacy for audiovisual works
- 4.3. Media literacy for online
- 5. CONCLUSIONS
COM(2007) 833 final
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
A European approach to media literacy in the digital environment
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
A European approach to media literacy in the digital environment
Media literacy is increasingly becoming an important component of European and national policy agendas in the media and communication sectors. The new Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS), for example, sets out a reporting obligation for the Commission to measure levels of media literacy in all the Member States i.
Whereas the media remain key enablers for European citizens to better understand the world and participate in democratic and cultural life, media consumption is changing. Mobility, user generated communication, Internet and booming availability of digital products are radically transforming the media economy. As a consequence, it is crucial to build up better knowledge and understanding of how the media work in the digital world, who the new players in the media economy are and which new possibilities, and challenges, digital media consumption may present. It largely conditions users' confidence in digital technologies and media and, therefore, the take-up of ICT and media, which is a priority for the European Commission, as confirmed in its 'i2010' strategic policy framework i. More generally, it is also important that citizens better understand the economic and cultural dimension of media and that a discussion takes place on the importance for Europe's economy to have strong and competitive media at a global level, delivering pluralism and cultural diversity.
A higher degree of media literacy can significantly contribute towards achieving the objectives set for the European Union at the Lisbon European Council in 2000. It is particularly important for the establishment of a more competitive and inclusive knowledge economy through boosting competitiveness in the ICT and media sectors, for the completion of a Single European Information Space and for the fostering of inclusion, better public services and quality of life.
This European approach to media literacy in the digital environment responds to calls from the European Parliament i and the media and ICT industries. It supplements the ongoing EU initiative on media pluralism i, the modernisation of the regulatory frameworks for audiovisual media services and for electronic communications, the strategic initiatives on mobile television i and on creative content online and the forthcoming initiative on eInclusion.
Furthermore, this Communication adds a further building block to European audiovisual policy. In particular, it links to the provisions of the AVMS Directive (the Communication will encourage research into criteria for assessing media literacy which are a first step towards the Art. 26 reporting obligation) i and the MEDIA 2007 programme. The latter underlines the importance of media literacy and image education initiatives in order to access European audiovisual works and to enhance Europe's cinematographic and audiovisual heritage. Its main objective is to highlight and to promote good practices in media literacy at European level and to propose actions. The Communication builds on the results of the work of the Media Literacy Expert Group (established in 2006), on the findings of the public consultation which was launched in October 2006 and on the experience of the Commission's previous and current media literacy-related initiatives.
This Communication has no financial impact on the Community budget other than on that foreseen and set down in the financial framework 2007-2013.
Media literacy is generally defined as the ability to access the media, to understand and to critically evaluate different aspects of the media and media contents and to create communications in a variety of contexts. This definition has been validated by a large majority of the respondents to the public consultation and by the members of the Media Literacy Expert Group i. Mass media are the media able to reach a wide public via different distribution channels. Media messages are informational and creative contents included in texts, sounds and images carried by different forms of communication, including television, cinema, video, websites, radio, video games and virtual communities.
A European approach to media literacy should relate to all media. The various levels of media literacy include:
- feeling comfortable with all existing media from newspapers to virtual communities;
- actively using media, through, inter alia , interactive television, use of Internet search engines or participation in virtual communities, and better exploiting the potential of media for entertainment, access to culture, intercultural dialogue, learning and daily-life applications (for instance, through libraries, podcasts);
- having a critical approach to media as regards both quality and accuracy of content (for example, being able to assess information, dealing with advertising on various media, using search engines intelligently);
- using media creatively, as the evolution of media technologies and the increasing presence of the Internet as a distribution channel allow an ever growing number of Europeans to create and disseminate images, information and content;
- understanding the economy of media and the difference between pluralism and media ownership;
- being aware of copyright issues which are essential for a 'culture of legality', especially for the younger generation in its double capacity of consumers and producers of content.
This Communication does not aim at dealing with all of these issues, many of them being dealt with under ongoing initiatives, but to concentrate on some of them.
A Media Literacy Expert Group was set up in 2006 with the aim of analysing and defining media literacy objectives and trends, of highlighting and promoting good practices at European level and of proposing actions in the field. The analysis and assessment of the European Commission’s previous activity (for instance, media literacy projects funded within the eLearning programme) were also discussed and examined. The group was composed of a number of European media literacy experts. It has a mix of different competences and backgrounds, including academics and media professionals. It met three times in 2006 and twice in 2007.
In addition, the Commission launched a public consultation i in the last quarter of 2006. The response to the consultation was satisfactory both in quantitative terms and in terms of the quality and variety of the respondents. Respondents included media organisations and industry, formal and non-formal education institutions, content providers and producers, research and cultural institutions, regulators and citizens' and consumers' associations. From the analysis of the replies, it emerged that analysing, highlighting and spreading local and national good practices in this field throughout the European Union is the right answer to speed up progress in media literacy. It also emerged that criteria or standards for assessing media literacy are lacking and that good practices are not available for all aspects of media literacy. Accordingly, the Commission sees an urgent need for larger-scale, longer-term research into developing both new assessment criteria and new good practices.
A study on 'Current trends and approaches to media literacy in Europe' was commissioned in May 2006. It maps current practices in implementing media literacy in Europe, confirms the tendencies which emerged in the public consultation and recommends some measures to be implemented at Community level to help foster and to increase the level of media literacy. Finally, it briefly outlined the possible economic and social impact of an EU intervention in this field. The final report of the study is available on the European Commission's website i.
The MEDIA 2007 programme Decision i highlights the importance of media literacy and film education initiatives, in particular those organised by festivals for young audiences in cooperation with schools. A call for proposals, with a specific award criterion related to film education, was launched in early 2007 and a number of projects selected i.
The SAFER INTERNET PLUS programme (2004-2008) aims at empowering parents, teachers and children with Internet safety tools. It also covers other media, such as videos. In the context of this programme, a qualitative study i was conducted in May 2007, based on a Eurobarometer survey and aimed at improving knowledge about Internet and mobile phone usage by children, their on-line behaviour and their perceptions of risk- and safety-related questions.
The EU legal framework related to content also deals with media literacy. For instance, a Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of minors and human dignity and the right of reply in relation to the competitiveness of the European audiovisual and information services industry was adopted on 20 December 2006 i. It stresses the importance of the development of media literacy programmes by the Member States and recommends a series of concrete actions to be undertaken by the Member States and the Commission in that field. Examples of such actions are: encouraging the audiovisual and on-line information services industry to avoid and to combat all discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation, without infringing freedom of expression or of the press; establishing codes of conduct in cooperation with professionals and regulatory authorities at national and Community level; promoting measures to combat all illegal activities harmful to minors on the Internet. The Commission would also draw attention to the fact that all Member States, except one, and the European Community signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Article 21 describes the obligations to encourage the mass media, including providers of information through the internet, to make their services accessible to persons with disabilities.
In line with the subsidiarity principle, the national authorities have the primary responsibility for including media literacy in school curricula at all levels. The role played by local authorities is also very important, since they are closer to the citizens and support initiatives in the non-formal education sector. The recently approved text of the AVMS Directive contains a recital referring to media literacy i, and its Article 26 sets out a reporting obligation for the Commission to measure levels of media literacy in all the Member States.
In May 2007, media literacy was the subject of a session at the German Presidency Leipzig Seminar, 'More trust in content'. In June 2007, at a conference on media literacy organised by UNESCO, the need to strengthen international cooperation was jointly stressed by UNESCO, the Council of Europe and the Commission.
This Communication focuses on three areas: commercial communication, audiovisual works and online.
Advertising is part of everyday life and is one of the building blocks of a market economy. It is important to raise awareness among all audiences about the role of commercial communication in the value chain of the audiovisual industry. This is notably true for free-to-air television as advertising and other forms of commercial communication, such as sponsoring, teleshopping or product placement, enable broadcasters to acquire premium content. It is also important to avoid negative images of older persons and people with disabilities in the media. In this field, media literacy for commercial communication has at least three aspects:
- giving young audiences tools to develop a critical approach to commercial communication, enabling them to make informed choices i;
- raising awareness and knowledge among all interested parties about self- and co-regulatory measures and mechanisms and about the development and implementation of codes of conduct i;
- encouraging public/private financing in this area with adequate transparency i.
In view of the reporting obligation in the AVMS Directive, the Commission sees a strong need to develop and to exchange good practices on commercial communications (e.g. through input to the development of codes of conduct) with a view to proposing them as an alternative to restrictions or bans on certain practices.
Digital technologies and broadband penetration strongly facilitate access to audiovisual works, creating new distribution channels such as video-on-demand and mobile television. This in turn creates new markets for catalogue/heritage content. In addition, digital technologies lower the entry barrier for creating and distributing audiovisual works and help create an audiovisual market without borders. In this context media literacy means:
- providing, notably to young European audiences, better awareness and knowledge about our film heritage and increasing interest in these films and in recent European films i;
- promoting the acquisition of audiovisual media production and creativity skills i;
- understanding the importance of copyright, from the perspective of both consumers and creators of content i.
In the rapidly evolving information society, media literacy skills are needed for awareness and inclusion in relation to technological, economic and cultural innovations. Internet profoundly changes media consumption, as it is an additional means to access traditional media (IPTV or Internet Radio for instance) and texts, images and sounds from all over the world in an interactive way. This offers huge opportunities, for example, as regards multimedia digital libraries i but also huge challenges in terms of media literacy. Media literacy for online means:
- empowering users with tools to critically assess online content;
- extending digital creativity and production skills and encouraging awareness of copyright issues i;
- ensuring that the benefits of the information society can be enjoyed by everyone, including people who are disadvantaged due to limited resources or education, age, gender, ethnicity, people with disabilities (e-Accessibility) as well as those living in less favoured areas (all these are encompassed under eInclusion) i;
- raising awareness about how search engines work (prioritisation of answers, etc.) and learning to better use search engines i.
T he Commission will continue to promote the development and exchange of good practices on media literacy in the digital environment through existing programmes and initiatives. It will also encourage research into criteria for assessing media literacy. To achieve this, a specific study will be launched in 2008 with the aim of investigating criteria to assess media literacy levels. This study will feed into the report foreseen in the AVMS Directive, which the Commission will table at the latest four years after the adoption of the Directive.
For the above reasons, the Commission calls on the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions to support the objectives and priorities set out in this Communication and to organise in 2008 events devoted to the exchange of good practices on media literacy in the digital environment, including on the economy of the media sector in Europe. Having regard to the position expressed by the other institutions and to the reactions of the stakeholders to the current Communication, the Commission will highlight further these good practices, adopting if necessary a Recommendation. Also, bearing in mind that 2008 will be the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue, the Commission invites the European institutions to incorporate an intercultural dialogue concern in their media literacy activities.
The Commission calls on Member States to:
- encourage the authorities in charge of audiovisual and electronic communication regulation to get more involved and to cooperate in the improvement of the various levels of media literacy defined above;
- promote systematic research into and regular observation of and reporting on the different aspects and dimensions of media literacy;
- develop and implement codes of conduct and, as appropriate, co-regulatory frameworks in conjunction with all interested parties at national level, and promote self-regulatory initiatives.
href="http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip/eurobarometer/index_en.htm#overall_report" target="_blank">ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/sip
See: ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities and
ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/i2010