Media and Information Literacy: Lessons from Interventions Around the World

"Misinformation causes real harm to people's lives, health, finances and to democracy."

This brief looks at evidence on the effectiveness of media and information literacy programmes around the world. Based on a literature review conducted by Africa Check, Chequeado, and Full Fact, the brief explores the nature and impact of a wide range of media and information initiatives that exist globally and also takes a closer look at country-specific interventions in Uganda, Argentina, and the United Kingdom (UK).

As explained in the brief, "Media and information literacy is broadly understood as a set of competencies that empower citizens to access, evaluate, and use information critically. In practice, this covers knowledge and technical skills, but also includes general attitudes needed to recognise reliable information, retrieve it, and produce it in an ethical manner - this recognises that audiences are not only consumers, but also content makers."

The research reviewed a total of six studies (two of them meta-analyses), which in total assessed the effects of 51 interventions. They were mainly original studies, reviews, and surveys published in peer-reviewed journals, as well as reports from non-partisan organisations. Study populations included students, teachers, parents, and the general population in Uganda, Argentina, the UK and elsewhere. The topics addressed included alcohol, tobacco, violence, body image, and social issues. Some programmes were delivered by teachers to students, while some involved students being trained on how to coach their peers; in others, researchers played the role of an instructor. Settings varied from classrooms to labs, and interventions ranged from those that simply taught participants to recognise certain media tactics to those that asked them to apply the tactics by producing media content. A closer look at three interventions highlighted the use of teacher-led interventions with schoolchildren and podcasts for parents in Uganda, short online trainings to help adults spot checkable claims in Argentina, and the use of play to spot misinformation in the UK.

The findings are summarised as follows in the report:

• The meta-analysis of 51 interventions indicates that media and information literacy initiatives increased participants' knowledge, criticism, and awareness of the influence of the media.
• Interventions with more sessions had stronger positive effects, while those that tried to teach multiple lessons in fewer sessions performed worse.
• Media and information literacy interventions can take many forms, from classroom interventions with children to podcasts and online training for adults, and even newsroom-style games harnessing the power of play.
• More evidence is needed to assess the outcomes of these interventions over time. One study reviewed here indicates that knowledge is retained a year later. A larger sample of studies is required to confirm this finding.
• More research is needed to determine how the lessons imparted in media trainings translate into real-world behaviours.
• Overall, however, the diversity of participants, interventions, and topics investigated suggest that fact-checkers can widen their fight against misinformation by teaching audiences how to spot and resist misinformation and work with others in the education sector to do so.

The report acknowledges that there is still no formula that works in every case. Differences in the populations, issues, styles of intervention, and methods of evaluation adopted make it hard to generalise about a single most effective strategy. However, one definite conclusion is that media and information literacy interventions can equip fact checkers, educators, and civil society partners with another means of fighting bad information. They are worth testing, for at least three reasons. First of all, it is encouraging to learn that media and information literacy interventions can work regardless of participants' age, gender, geography, and level of education. Secondly, it is inspiring to learn that education is not confined to the structures of classrooms. Thirdly, based on the example from the UK, one might want to consider the power of play. Games that simulate the dynamics of busy newsrooms can build critical thinking skills and an ability to assess misinformation.