Third International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

The definition of media literacy has evolved over the years, but continues to purvey the notion of the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms. Becoming media literate individuals no longer focuses heavily on primary and secondary school students, but has now expanded to include college students, parents, teachers, and professionals in all fields of human endeavors. The National Association For Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) created core principles to further emphasize the importance of media literacy education, emphasizing the following: 1. Media Literacy Education requires active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create. 2. Media Literacy Education expands the concept of literacy to include all forms of media (i.e., reading and writing). 3. Media Literacy Education develops informed, reflective and engaged participants essential for a democratic society. Len Masterman, pioneering media educator in England and author of the seminal text, Teaching the Media, affirms NAMLE by stating, “media education is essentially active and participatory.” With this understanding, I explore how United States schools could place more emphasis on media education, more so now that social media has become a mainstay in our society, and fake news is carving a foothold in the news media. Fake news as we’ve come to understand it, is any information that is deliberately meant to be wholly or largely false. These problems, which I believe will get worse, should forge the need for educators to rethink media literacy with greater urgency.