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Section , Ofcom's strategy and priorities for the promotion of media literacy

Summary

Consultation published: 18|03|2005
Consultation closes: 18|03|2005

1. In an increasingly converged communications world, people face greater media choice. Changes in technology mean that parents may have to take more responsibility for what they and their children see and hear on screen and online. Media literacy will provide some of the tools they need to exploit the opportunities offered, to manage their expectations and to protect themselves and their families from the risks involved. Through confident use of communications technologies people will gain a better understanding of the world around them and be able to engage with it.

2. We will work with stakeholders to help focus on the present and future media literacy needs of all members of society. There are many stakeholders who have a key role to play in the promotion of media literacy skills in both adults and children. These include content producers, broadcasters, platform and network providers, educators, Government departments, parents, children’s charities and other organisations. Our role will be to provide leadership and leverage to promote media literacy.

3. As with all areas of Ofcom's work, there is a need to prioritise the issues that Ofcom will tackle in its first year to maximise impact and benefit. It is proposed that the three key strands of work should be as follows:

4. Research. Key to the success of our early work and in defining future priorities is to develop an evidence-base of research. This will help us to identify the issues, to direct our work and inform progress towards achieving our goals.

5. Connecting, partnering & signposting. We aim to add value to existing media literacy activity, to stimulate new work and to promote and direct people to advice and guidance concerning new communications technologies.

6. Labelling. Viewers and listeners need to have clear, accurate and timely information about the nature of content so that they can make informed choices. Our prime concern is to ensure consistency in the presentation of information related to possible harm and offence, in particular to help protect young and vulnerable people from inappropriate material. This advice can be effectively delivered using a content labelling framework. Ofcom will work with industry players to explore the possibility of creating a common content labelling (information) scheme for electronic audiovisual material.


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