Written by: Gentiana Paçarizi
Head of the EDU section
The best time to pay attention to media education is precisely what Kosovo is going through. On the eve of extraordinary elections and in the midst of a global pandemic, the quality of the information we receive is a key element in our attitudes, behaviors and decisions now. Partly intentionally, partly by chance, we are launching the EDU column at this very time.
The phrase 'media literacy' is not entirely unknown in Kosovo. In recent years, especially, it has been mentioned a lot in the media along with that of 'fake news'. However, while the latter have become part of our daily conversations, media literacy continues to be a concept that has not reached everyone. I have the impression that despite the numerous efforts of the Department of Journalism at the University of Prishtina, first, and then of other international actors such as the OSCE, local non-governmental organizations and often the media themselves; we have not managed to break down the concept of media literacy as simply as possible, to take it beyond the internal circles of experts in this field and make it tangible for everyone. What is media literacy, after all?
A few weeks ago, Professor Bardh Rugova gave a very clear definition of media literacy in one of the episodes of the OSCE program on this topic, Edu Media. He said that media literacy is knowing how to think critically. Thinking critically about everything you read, hear or see in the media. Having a kind of critical filter – like a pair of glasses – that helps you evaluate the information you encounter in terms of the quality of the content. But, all of this is a little more complicated.
Critical thinking is the result of a long process from which individuals acquire skills from an early age to evaluate, understand and interpret what they experience as part of reality and to create some kind of judgment in the end. Unfortunately, in Kosovo, this process lacks the proper focus. Therefore, when individuals go through different stages of life, some of them fail to equip themselves with critical thinking skills. As a result, their beliefs and attitudes are shaped without undergoing this type of process.
Media literacy goes beyond the basic skills of understanding what you read, see or hear. But things are not better here either. As recently as 2018, the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 (PISA report) assessment of 15-year-olds in our country showed that only 21% of them can identify, at least, the main idea in a text, find information and reflect on its purpose. Meanwhile, only a small percentage of them can understand long texts, deal with abstract or counter-intuitive ideas and distinguish between fact and opinion. This means that the majority of 15-year-olds in Kosovo cannot even identify the main idea in a text, its information and purpose, let alone distinguish between fact and opinion. While most 15-year-olds in Kosovo struggle to understand basic texts, they are exposed daily to various forms of information coming from different entry points.
These are data for only a portion of the Kosovo population, others may be even worse, but certainly this result is a clear indicator of what future awaits our society when these 15-year-olds reach the age to make decisions about their lives as individuals and as part of the community they live in. While our decisions are shaped by the information we have at our disposal, one of the main goals of media education is for the decision-making process to be well-informed.
While critical thinking is important in every aspect of life, it plays an essential role when interacting with media and information. The COVID-19 pandemic once again highlighted the result of our lack of prioritization of this area. Probably not only me, but many of us have people in our close circle who consider the pandemic a huge hoax orchestrated by the great world powers to establish a new world order. Or how, using the pandemic as an excuse, we will have chips installed under our skin and other sensations. By feeding on such information produced and distributed sometimes by irresponsibility and sometimes by ignorance, public health is put at risk and this represents one of the most sensitive points of the lack of media education. Media education is not just a nice phrase to use, but a skill similar in importance to writing and reading.
But this is not something new either at the Kosovo or global level. What is new in this is that, while the infrastructure for the distribution of poor-quality news and information is being perfected, other supporting points are declining. The quality of the education system, trust in institutions and trust in the media are declining and a phase of distrust is in trend. When institutions, professionals and media are not trusted, people turn to alternative sources of information. The supporting structure of these sources of information is questioned and with them everything else.
There are various reasons why disinformation has become a major topic around the globe. Numerous studies are being conducted and are shedding light on this phenomenon, but still, it is a new field and not all of us are experts in it and we cannot become one overnight. But, although this field is only recently being prioritized globally, in Kosovo we are still far behind. Resources in this field are lacking and there is a lack of consistent focus in this direction.
Through the launch of the EDU section, we will try to contribute to this space by breaking down the concept of media education as simply and practically as we can. We will try to fill the gap with useful materials for each interested party. Being a fake-checker section, our goal is further strengthened since the entire activity of the platform is in this direction.
The column is modest and will focus on the elaboration of media literacy in the wide range of interrelated fields and information disorder in particular. In addition to serving as an educational and informative space for the audience, the column is open to the contribution of experts in this field in the space for elaborations. All this is an initial step for other potential projects that can contribute even more concretely to the prioritization of media literacy in the public space as a necessary skill to navigate in today's world characterized by digitalization, technology and media.