International Media and Information Literacy Institute

The International Media and Information Literacy Institute (IMILI) was launched in April 2026, as a partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 
It is based at the National Open University of Nigeria and "aims to serve as an international observatory for Media and Information Literacy development and catalyst for sustained research that offer empirical evidence on the social impact of MIL globally." A number of the resources are "under construction" but there is an interesting first issue of their newsletter. 
Go to: https://www.imilinstitute.org/

Recent articles: Media Literacy; Content Literacy; AI; teaching and assessment

The latest issue of open-access Journal of Media Literacy Education (Volume 18, Issue 2, 2026) includes the following:
- The role of media literacy in shaping campus student leaders’ perceptions of media activism, online risks, and social support by Srividya Ramasubramanian, Minnie S. McMillian, Shumaila J. Bhatti, Shannon Burth, Julius Matthew Riles, Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz, and Melody Wilson
- Content literacy in the digital age: Integrating the development of digital language skills into civic education by Cedric Lawida and Ina-Maria Maahs
- Fact-checking in the university: The experience of the ‘Verificatón Electoral’ as a model of teaching innovation by Irene Larraz et al.
- Demographic context of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) skills among senior high school students in Ghana by Patience Emefa Dzandza Ocloo, Aurelia Ayisi, Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin, and Annie Oye
-Integrating AI into media analysis projects: Students’ insights on using ChatGPT by Serpil Yalcinalp and Hacer Turkoglu
- How to incorporate media literacy into general education curricula by Dennis O. Frohlich and David Magolis
- Mapping media literacy assessment: A systematic review to connect the dots by Lara Azar, Casey Frechette, Hafsa Zia, and Joy Amulya
- Fostering responsible AI use in communication: An integrated approach to digital literacy education by Omer Keynan, Liron Mishkin Drezner, and Yuval Gozansky
Go to https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/vol18/iss2/
Photo by Sheila Webber: a nice flat white, August 2026

UNESCO - MIL in Lebanon and Kyrgystan - and hate speech

A couple of news releases from UNESCO reporting on Media and Information Literacy initiatives:
UNESCO. (2026, July 9). Walk Into Truth: Youth from South Lebanon Strengthen Critical Thinking and Media and Information Literacy. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/walk-truth-youth-south-lebanon-strengthen-critical-thinking-and-media-and-information-literacy

UNESCO. (July 23). Youth capacities in media and information literacy for peacebuilding enhanced in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/youth-capacities-media-and-information-literacy-peacebuilding-enhanced-osh-kyrgyzstan

Also a fairly recent publication:
Roksa-Zubcevic, A. (2026). Media and information literacy: combating hate speech in the digital age.  https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000398298?posInSet=1&queryId=0e9a466e-b510-4d4f-9c90-b17b7ecc3913
Photo by Sheila Webber: roses, July 2026

Media Literacy strategy

Ofcom (UK's communications watchdog) have published a mid-term evaluation of their Media Literacy strategy. 
"The evaluator commissioned by Ofcom [Bigger Picture Research] used evidence from a range of sources in this evaluation including 33 interviews with relevant stakeholders, and two surveys sent out to our Network of over 700 individuals or organisations." Sadly, libraries are only mentioned in one paragraph, and librarians not at all: though, to be fair, journalists aren't mentioned either. 
Go to https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/making-sense-of-media/media-literacy/mid-term-evaluation-of-ofcoms-3-year-media-literacy-strategy-2024-2027.pdf
Photo by Sheila Webber: this cat in the Botanical Gardens is probably not much bothered by Ofcom: July 2026

New articles: News literacy; Media literacy; Fact checking; Disinformation

The latest issue of the open-access Journal of Media Literacy Education (volume 18 no.1) comprises:
- Building resilience: The influence of the format on the effectiveness of news literacy messages by Patrick F. A. van Erkel, Peter Van Aelst, David N. Hopmann, Claes H. de Vreese, and Joren Van Nieuwenborgh
- Promoting News Literacy with epistemological beliefs, IFLA checklist and AI: Insights from a teacher training program in Italy by Flavio Manganello
- Don’t tell me how to fact-check; show me, and let me try! A media literacy intervention with sixth-graders by Thomas Nygren and Carl-Anton Werner Axelsson
- Productive Disruptions: An equity oriented framework for civic media literacy in the digital era by Carlos Jimenez, Lynn Schofield Clark, and Johnny Ramirez
- The Creative Participation pedagogical approach to media literacy education by Amanda Levido
- Teacher reflections on media and information literacy in Vietnamese K-12 schools: Current practices, challenges, and pathways for improvement by Tinh T.T Le, Minh Tran, Anh Dương, Huong T. Pham, Vy Tran, and Daniel Jackson
- From Y to Z: A cross-generational examination of new media literacy and online information searching strategy by Taibe Kulaksız, Ali Geriş, and Sena Özşirin
- From consumers to creators: Social media information literacy of university students by Thuy Thanh Bui, Quyen Trang Mai Nguyen, Tu Thi Thanh Nguyen, and Minh Cao Luu
- Leveraging critical social media literacy to safeguard youth against violent radicalization and extremism by Muhammad Akram, Adeela Arshad-Ayaz, and Muhammad Ayaz Naseem
- Didactic aspects of education of primary teachers with a focus on strengthening their media literacy and fighting disinformation. Experience from the Czech Republic by Kamil Kopecký and Veronika Krejčí
Go to https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/vol18/iss1/
Photo by Sheila Webber: border at the botanics, June 2026

Ofcom: Statement on Media Literacy

Ofcom (the UK's watchdog on communications and media literacy) has just published the final version of How to promote Media Literacy: Statement on recommendations for online platforms, broadcasters and services (there was a draft version for consultation and this is the amended version). They say that the recommendations are "are designed to achieve four broad aims" which are that: 
- Services are designed to give people meaningful choice in how they engage with content (Recommendations 1 and 2).
- People are empowered to actively manage and control their own experience (Recommendations 3 to 6). 
- Services contribute to the broader media literacy landscape through partnerships and outreach to build trust (Recommendations 7 to 9). 
- [online platforms etc. are] driving continuous improvement through ongoing evaluation of what works (Recommendation 10). 
The recommendation document includes (for each recommendation) a summary of the responses to the original document and Ofcom's response to the responses, plus their final formulation.
This is the link to the documents  https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-literacy/how-to-promote-media-literacy-consultation-on-recommendations-for-online-platforms-broadcasters-and-services
Photo by Sheila Webber: dandelion clocks, May 2026

New book: Media and Information Literacy as Civic Practice

Grosse, M. & Clarke-De Reza, s. (Eds). (2026). Media and Information Literacy as Civic Practice: Lessons from the College Classroom. Taylor Francis. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003628507/media-information-literacy-civic-practice-meghan-grosse-sara-clarke-de-reza
Interestingly, a minority of contributors come from the library or communications field and the introduction (you can read it free as a sample) identifies that they want to take ML and IL out of their silos.
Photo by Sheila Webber: lovely tree, May 2026

Media and information literacy: combating hate speech in the digital age

Today is United Nations International Day for Countering Hate Speech. UNESCO has organised a webinar today (18 June) at 13.30 CEST (12.30 BST) Countering Hate Speech in the Digital Age: Promoting Information Integrity and Resilient Societies. Short notice, but I only just found out about it. "The event will bring together experts to discuss current challenges and responses to hate speech in digital environments, including the role of Media and Information Literacy in fostering inclusive and resilient societies" 
Register at https://unesco-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RmmOuj6OQ1O10SkETpVldw#/registration

However, if you can't make the webinar you can look at the new 16-page publication it is launching: 
Roksa-Zubcevic, A. (2026). Media and information literacy: combating hate speech in the digital age. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000398298? 
It sets out the issues and then looks at a MIL response and makes recommendations. 
Not its main purpose, but a useful bonus for this publication is a list at the end of some UNESCO MIL publications (e.g. the Prague Declaration, though unfortunately not the Alexandria Declaration) - UNESCO has moved them around over the years and they can be hard to track down.
Photo by Sheila Webber: Poppy, May 2026

Full Fact Report 2026

A new report from Full Fact, a UK fact checking agency: Full Fact Report 2026: A system under strain: strengthening the UK’s democratic information. There are sections on: The state of the UK’s information environment (based on the fact checking they have done, a survey on trust and analysis of platforms' tactics, political pressures etc.); Impacts on democracy and the case for reform; Global lessons for UK policymakers; UK governance, regulation and institutional preparedness; Building democratic information resilience. 
They do recommend more attention to media literacy (information literacy only gets mentioned a couple of times in the context of "media and information literacy"). One of their recommendations is "Embed media literacy across the curriculum Support the integration of media and information literacy across the curriculum at all stages, including an understanding of AI-mediated information, with the provision of teacher training, guidance and high-quality teaching resources environment", also "Fund long-term media literacy delivery capacity" and "Introduce a statutory duty to provide media literacy. The latter involves supporting "effective, evidence-based media and information literacy among users" including a requirement "to embed media literacy by design" . 
The report is at https://fullfact.org/policy/reports/full-fact-report-2026/
Photo by Sheila Webber: rhododendrons and the Tower of Arts, May 2026. I realised after I took this that the tower looks photoshopped/AI-ed in, but that really is a raw shot with the University of Sheffield's tower (home of Europe's tallest paternoster) visible from Weston Park (so no disinformation!)

MIL Curriculum for Asia

There's a short interview on the UNESCO website with Professor Arul Selvan, who leads development of a Media and Information Literacy Curriculum (based on the UNESCO MIL Curriculum) for South and Southeast Asia. 
UNESCO. (2026, June 6). Shaping a new generation: Integrating Media and Information Literacy into India’s education system. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/shaping-new-generation-integrating-media-and-information-literacy-indias-education-system
Photo by Sheila Webber: greenery, including stickyweed, May 2026

iConference proceedings published

The proceedings of the iConference (held in March-April 2026) have been published as a special issue of open access journal Information Research (volume 31 no. iconf(2026). There's lots about AI! Papers include:
- Beyond the loop: a research agenda towards a framework for critical AI literacy in the AI-assisted literature review by Dipesh Jalui, Mary Tate, Jocelyn Cranefield 
- Disability misinformation on Facebook: a comparison of LLM-based fact-checking tools by Ian Prazak, Leah Padovani, Yool Lim, Julia (Hsin-Ping) Hsu, Myeong Lee 
- Shared agency in information behaviour research: Human–Nonhuman interactions by Niloofar Solhjoo, Jia Tina Du, Yazdan Mansourian 
- The role of misinformation in elder fraud: a conceptual framework by Jiangping Chen, Milo P. Ono 
- Breaking the mold of knowledge imposition: reconstruct the digital literacy education model in academic libraries under the Scottish enlightenment by ZhenJia Fan, YiMei He
 - Reframing creative learning: a conceptual framework for design literacy in the GenAI era by Asif H Zeshan, Xiao Hu 
- Dimensions of information search strategies: a study of blind and visually impaired users in mobile digital library environments by Iris Xie, Wonchan Choi, Hyun Seung Lee, Ning Chiao Wang, Bo Hyun Hong 
- Seeking the mission and opportunities for LIS in the AI era: a systematic review of empirical research on teenagers' artificial intelligence literacy (TAIL) by Jing Liu, Jiajing Ma, Guoye Sun, Shu Fan
 - Inclusive media and information literacy (IMIL): Building a framework for an age of preparedness and responsibilisation by Hanna Carlsson, Lisa Engström, Lisa Olsson Dahlquist 
- Scaffolding resilience: the influence of an iSchool’s media and information literacy courses by Frey Aura Galario, Dan Anthony Dorado, Benedict Salazar Olgado 
- ‘Ugh, it’s a difficult topic’: Positionality statements as information use in information and library science research by Alex H. Poole, Ashley Todd-Diaz
Go to https://publicera.kb.se/ir/issue/view/5744
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossom cluster, April 2026

Media Literacy in the UK

The UK's Media and Information Literacy Alliance newsleter reported last month on the March debate in the House of Lords on progress with media literacy since their own report was published in July 2025: that report started by stating that "Social cohesion is at risk and democracy itself is threatened by inadequate media literacy. Being media literate—having the skills to think critically about the content we create and consume, both online and offline—is essential. Media literacy builds resilience, empowers individuals and protects them against harmful and misleading content. It enables them to be informed and responsible citizens"
That report is at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5901/ldselect/ldcomm/163/163.pdf The debate also refers to the UK's Online Safety Act 2023 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/50. 
One point, raised by Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick, was that the media literacy education of prisoners had been overlooked "They are media literacy denied". 
In her summing up, the Baroness Keeley said "I welcome the emphasis on critical thinking and thinking independently, which was one of the key things to come out strongly in the debate, as well as the discussion on visual literacy, which we cannot forget. The need for Ofcom to update its definition came up again and again, so we should perhaps keep on that. On the subject of libraries, which were mentioned, we must remember that so many libraries are now run by volunteers, so let us not think that they can take on extra responsibilities without the funding that goes with that." 
The transcript of the debate is on Hansard (which has transcripts of debates in both Houses of parliament)at https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2026-03-16/debates/3DD3E3FA-64D7-4264-AA25-F0230A8F8BC4/MediaLiteracy(CommunicationsAndDigitalCommitteeReport).
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossom in South London, April 2026

Social media corporate curricula for digital literacy

An interesting article from one of my colleagues, in which he and his co-author critically examine the ready-made digital literacy lesson plans that big corporates (including tech companies like Meta and Google) produce for schools, parents etc. 
Docherty, N. & Barragán, M.V. (2026). Civilizing users through social media corporate curricula. International Journal of Cultural Studies. Early online publication. (open access) https://doi.org/10.1177/13678779261425695 
Abstract: "The psychological, political and social risks of social media are commonly up for debate. In response, social media companies are producing free to access lesson plans, tool-kits, and other pedagogical materials that seek to educate users about responsible social media use. Through a document analysis of such resources released by Meta, including Facebook's Get Digital literacy campaign and Instagram's Community Programs and Guides, we show how the social media corporate curriculum invites learners to interpret, discuss, and act upon the problems of social media as if they were an individual issue. We argue that this not only entrenches neoliberalized values of personal resilience but also functions, following Norbert Elias, to civilize the user through the cultivation of manners, morals, and codes of digital conduct. We close by highlighting the contingency of such an arrangement, offering alternative pedagogical approaches that do not reproduce these universalizing effects." 
Photo by Sheila Webber: white cherry blossom and spring leaves, April 2026

Paradojas de la Alfabetización Mediática e Informacional

Jutta Haider & Olof Sundin's 2022 open-access book has been published in a Spanish translation:
Haider, J. & Sundin, O. (2026). Paradojas de la Alfabetización Mediática e Informacional: La Crisis de la Información. (Bolaños, Fernando & Camila Rasse, Translation). CIMA UDD. at https://repositorio.udd.cl/items/69c27623-35d3-43bf-b686-a31af848f394

Preparing young voters in today’s online information environment

The UK government plans to lower the voting age to 16 (you can already vote in Scottish and Welsh parliamentary and local elections at 16 if you are qualified to vote in Scotland/ Wales) so there is interest in how this younger cohort of voters might engage with information relevant to voting decisions. 
Earlier in the year a report was published by Internet Matters and Full Fact. Internet matters is a not-for-profit that works "collaboratively with our partners to support our joint vision of a safer, happier connected world for children and young people" (partners include Tiktok, Amazon Kids, Sky). Full Fact is the fact checking organisation. 
The report uses "November 2025 data from Internet Matters Pulse ... based on a survey of 573 children aged 13-17 and 801 parents of children aged 13-17 based in the UK") and also previous Internet Matters research. 
The report identifies that this age group encounters political information online, their confidence that they can evaluate it is in the 50%s and when asked about their peers' confidence, that is rated even lower. A small majority are concerened about the veracity of what politicians say and about the impact on misinformation on election results. A large majority of young people think that schools, parents / carers, Government, and social media companies all have responsibility to support them in being more informed voters (they were not asked whether they felt they had a responsibility to develop themselves). The report makes recommendations for various stakeholders, including about media and digital literacy. Sadly, librarians/ libraries are not mentioned.
Internet Matters. (2026, February 8). Preparing young voters in a complex, attention-driven information environment. https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/research/preparing-young-people-to-vote-in-a-complex-attention-driven-environment/
Photo by Sheila Webber: spring branches, April 2026

Matteo Bergamini keynote #LILAC26

The keynote for day 3 of the LILAC information literacy conference is given by Matteo Bergamini (CEO of Shout Out UK (SOUK). This is Sheila liveblogging it. I'll give the usual caveat that these are my immediate impressions whilst liveblogging. 
He started by describing the work of SOUK which "provides impartial political and media literacy training and campaigns focused on democratic engagement and combatting disinformation online". He then talked about the labels used: misinformation (false information shared by mistake, which can lead from e.g. not knowing that "verified" accounts may have just bought that verification), disinformation (false information shared deliberately, using the example of information shared in the Southport riots), malinformation (distorting actual information for harmful purposes e.g. taking it out of context) and false information (e.g. AI generated text, images, videos).
Bergamini showed us some images of people and asked us to guess which are real and which AI, the results of which showed that often it was really difficult to tell. He went on to talk about how algorithms are designed to keep us engaged, therefore feeding us what we might like, to keep hold on us, often showing increasingly emotive and extreme material, leading to desensitisation and seeing such material as normal. Social media can thus become a shield against ideas and feelings which are different to oour own. Bergamini talked about how this process is exploited by religeous extremism and incel/manosphere ideologies, feeding on people's insecurities and reinforcing negativity. This includes fascination with extreme violence, which formerly wasn't seen as a form of ideology. He also highlighted that the number of children who were arrested for terrorism-related incidents was increasing in the UK (20% in 2024 and 4% in 2019). Bergamini said that there is not mass radicalisation, but radicalisation can happen very quickly: it used to happen over months, but now it might happen within 24 hours, so the the time period for potentially intervening is much shorter.
Bergamini presented the solution as being media literacy - the ability to use, understand and create. [Obviously I would say you could also mention information literacy at this point!] He identified the cross curricular initiative in Finland for media literacy, which does seem to have an impact. In France he highlighted a programme with 30 coordination centres for media literacy and also the Welsh digital competency framework. He also mentioned the curriculum review in England which does include requirements for media literacy education (though, I would add, sadly not as a subject in itself and also Bergamini mentioned the lack of specific resources for teacher training so far).
Then he highlighted the Dismiss initiative and the other work of SOUK itself. He explained the ideas of prebunking (aiming to prevent spread of harmful information before the event) and debunking (work after the event - e,g, fact checking). SOUK focuses on prebunking, in particular technique-based prebunking (looking on the different techniques that are used for spread of disinformation etc.) An example of teaching with prebunking is showing a video with someone giving health misinformation and then discussing the techniques that are being used in the video. SOUK has resources to support educators on its website https://www.shoutoutuk.org/ including a podcast and lesson plans.
One question from the audience was about whether SOUK had material to work with adults as well as young people, and the answer was yes. Another issue that came up in the questions was developing scepticism without people becoming cynical and distrusting everything. Things that got discussed including examining the different actors producing the information, also working on this continously, it isn't a one off thing. One useful tip about spotting fake AI was looking at the context of AI generated material rather than looking for "tells" that it was fake (e.g. not how realistic is this picture of a person, but rather how likely is it that they would be doing this in this setting). Another question was about having positive examples as well as negative ones [I was thinking here that highlighting information creators who were open about how they checked and reflected on their practice would be useful].
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossom behind Sheffield train station tram stop, March 2026

National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies

Last month (December 2025) the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) adopted the policy document National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies: Practical Steps and Indicators "The document provides member states with practical guidance on developing and implementing national MIL strategies, aiming to support them in effectively responding to the transformations in the media and information ecosystem brought about by the digital era." I haven't read the document in depth, but it has useful summaries and appendices including the indicators, actions for policy, research and practice, and amn overview of existing Council of Europe guidance on MIL. It does acknowledge the "Information" dimension of MIL to some extent, though it talks about Media Literacy more. 
Council of Europe Steering Committee on Media and Information Society. (2025, December 4). National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies: Practical Steps and Indicators. (CDMSI(2025)09) https://rm.coe.int/cdmsi-2025-09-guidelines-for-national-media-and-information-literacy-s/488029ec67
Photo by Sheila Webber: winter day, December 2025

Media and Information Literacy Training Toolkit for Malaysian Newsrooms

Happy new year! I'll start the year with another UNESCO co-publication, an 8 page guide for media organisations in Malaysia:
Loh, B.Y.H. (2025, December) Media and Information Literacy Training Toolkit for Malaysian Newsrooms. Malaysiakini & UNESCO.
There is information about Malaysiakini here. "This toolkit seeks to furnish Malaysian media with suggestions and guides on how they can implement MIL into their newsrooms to better engage with youths."
Go to https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hl-Jp21sEBRWS2Pq2bNqu0kHXIfwK2LE/view
Photo by Sheila Webber: misty day, December 2025

#MIL in Kazakhstan

A press release from UNESCO reports on training sessions as part of preparatory work on the introduction of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) into the state compulsory education standard and secondary education curricula of the Republic of Kazakhstan. There is more information in Russian and Kazakh.
Go to https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/kazakhstan-takes-important-step-towards-introducing-media-and-information-literacy-countrys
Photo by Sheila Webber: crackers cracked, December 2025

News Integrity in AI Assistants

BBC & European Broadcasting Union. (2025). News Integrity in AI Assistants TOOLKIT. European Broadcasting Union. https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Publications/MIS/open/EBU-MIS-BBC_News_Integrity_in_AI_Assistants_Toolkit_2025.pdf 
An "AI Assistant" seems to mean any generative AI tool. This toolkit addresses the questions What makes a good AI assistant response to a news question? & What are the problems that need to be fixed?  It describes "four key components of a good AI assistant response" "1. Accuracy: is the information provided by the AI assistant correct?" "2. Providing context: is the AI assistant providing all relevant and necessary information?" "3. Distinguishing opinion from fact: is the AI assistant clear whether the information it is providing is fact or opinion?" "4. Sourcing: is the AI assistant clear and accurate about where the information it provides comes from?" 
It also gives many examples of how things go wrong - drawing on results from the report referenced below. The toolkit is meant for tech companies, media companies and their stakeholders. 
I found this via: Archer, P. & De Tender, J.P. (2025, October). News Integrity in AI Assistants: An international PSM study. European Broadcasting Union. https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Publications/MIS/open/EBU-MIS-BBC_News_Integrity_in_AI_Assistants_Report_2025.pdf 
PSM = Public Service Media. Thanks to the MILA newsletter that highlighted that report.
Photo by Sheila Webber: part of the "Dear Library" exhibition at the National Library of Scotland, December 2025. Visitors are asked to categorise a variety of European initiatives.