Item
Roles of journalists in media literacy initiatives: trainees and trainers. Continuity, collaboration, and sustainability of media literacy trainings to mitigate disinformation in Portugal
- Author
- Caterina Foà, Vítor Tomé , Dina Margato , Miguel Paisana ,Miguel Crespo , Gustavo Cardoso
- Year
- 2023
- Publisher
- Profesional de la información
- Abstract
-
This paper aims to foster the debate on Media Literacy (ML) projects with a focus on disinformation. We analyse initiati
ves carried out locally in Portugal, considering the principles of ML, the necessary development of skills and competen
ces, as well as the importance of the journalistic action and the consequences of platformization on professional practi
ces. Mixed methods are applied to collect and analyse quali-quantitative data from ML projects and trainings involving
multiple stakeholders. Inquiring three independent samples (editors-in-chief, journalists trained in ML, teachers trained
by journalists in ML) the research questions address the importance of journalists’ participation in ML within different
roles, as well as the training quality and projects’ assessment. Findings show a lack of specialised knowledge, practical
tools, and continuous training as well the need for more tailor-made programs and evaluation resources that allow for the creation and promotion of more effective ML training programs. This contribution is therefore two-folded: a) it aims
to enhance the operational aspects of media training in the field, based on a continuous improvement logic and b) it
explores a specific evaluative example on how the feedback from training can help improve research efforts in the media
literacy field. Conclusions systematise the assumptions, stemming from an articulation of ML stakeholders’ perspectives,
that guide the implementation, improvement, and assessment of training: collaboration, continuity, and sustainability.
These inductive categories allow for the development of theoretical-practical dimensions of the processes for evaluating
innovative training against disinformation which may in turn have an inoculation role in the wider public sphere. We
suggest improvements to the methodological-operational processes to involve journalists, to do follow-up, assessment,
and implementation of wider training projects, contributing to applied research. - Language
- English
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