The 2025 MLI Conference will take place on 26 November in Thomas Prior Hall, Clayton Hotel, Ballsbridge, with a theme of Media Literacy – Supporting communities, fostering citizenship, promoting democracy.
This day-long conference will be filled with insightful discussion, interactive sessions and networking opportunities with like-minded individuals passionate about media literacy. Whether you’re a student, practitioner, educator or professional in this field, this event is an excellent way to expand your knowledge and engage with other MLI members. Places are limited and registration will close on 10 November so register now to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to learn from industry experts and contribute to the conversation on media literacy.
Agenda
09.15 Coffee and registration
10:00 Conference open – Martina Chapman, National Coordinator, MLI
10:05 Opening remarks – Aoife MacEvilly, Commissioner for Broadcasting and Video on Demand in Coimisiún na Meán
10.20 MLI review – Martina Chapman, National Coordinator, MLI
10:30 Keynote speech: Democracy’s Missing Infrastructure: Why Community Media Literacy Matters – Roslyn Kratochvil Moore, Deutsche Welle Akademie
10.45 Panel 1: Fostering media freedom and media pluralism through media literacy (convened in collaboration with Coimisiún na Meán)
Media freedom and media pluralism are twin pillars of democracy. How can media literacy promote media freedom and media pluralism, and what role and responsibilities do media, media regulators and audiences have?
Aoife MacEvilly, Commissioner for Broadcasting and Video on Demand in Coimisiún na Meán, will provide the context for this session, which will be moderated by Stephanie Comey, Director of Media Literacy and User Education, Coimisiún na Meán, and Co-Chair of MLI. The panellists will be:
- Dr Roddy Flynn Associate Professor at the School of Communications, DCU
- Fiona Stack, CEO of Radio Kerry Group
- Valentyn Koval, Deputy Chair of the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting, Ukraine
- Calum Fabb, Assistant Director of Regulatory Policy at Coimisiún na Meán
11.40 Coffee and networking
12:00 Panel 2: Promoting Information Integrity: Rising to the challenge (convened in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport)
The Irish National Counter Disinformation Strategy recognises how the multi-dimensional, dynamic and life-long nature of media literacy can help to protect information integrity as part of a coordinated, national approach. This session will give an overview of the media literacy actions that are being undertaken as part of the Strategy and explore new opportunities for collaboration.
Paul Kilkenny, Senior Policy Analyst, D/CCS, will provide the context for this session which will be moderated by Dr Eileen Culloty, Associate Professor at the School of Communications, DCU and Co-Chair of MLI. The panellists will be:
- Lilana Vitu, Chair of the Audiovisual Council of Moldova
- Dr. Stuart Hamilton, Head of Libraries Development, Local Government Management Association
- Dr. Gillian Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Applied Psychology, University of Cork
- Susan Daly, Managing Editor Journal Media
12:55 Lunch and networking
13.45 Panel 3: Making Sense of AI: Building Literacy for a New Media Landscape (in collaboration with ADAPT)
As AI continues to transform how individuals, communities, and organisations communicate and operate, how can we empower different audiences to harness its benefits while recognising and navigating its risks? This session will explore how we can equip people, of all ages, with the AI literacy skills to critically engage with AI-driven media.
Dr Cara Greene, Education and Public Engagement Projects Lead, ADAPT DCU will provide the context for this session which will be moderated by Elaine Burke, Sci-tech journalist, editor and broadcaster. The panellists will be:
- Yvonne McKenna, Adult Literacy for Life, SOLAS
- Dr Eamon Costello, Associate Professor of Digital Learning, DCU
- Dr Dympna O’Sullivan, Academic Lead, Digital Futures Research Hub, TU Dublin
14:40 Coffee and networking
15:00 Lightning talks: The trials, tribulations and triumphs of media literacy interventions
This session explores the trials, tribulations and triumphs of media literacy projects that are supporting communities, citizenship and democracy. The session will be moderated by Martina Chapman, National Coordinator, MLI, and will start with a series of short case study presentations followed by a panel discussion on the lessons learned and the next steps.
- Smart Café – Dara McGabhann, SICAP
- Let’s Talk about Media Literacy – Robert McColloch, SOLAS
- Dismiss the Noise – Sinead O’Higgins, Waterford Libraries
- DLR Media Literacy Programme – Erika Csibi and Caroline Flood, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Public Library Service
16:00 Reflections: Supporting communities, building citizenship, protecting democracy
An opportunity to reflect on the key moments from the day and summarise the conference outputs.
- Stephanie Comey, Director of Media Literacy and User Education, Coimisiún na Meán and Co-Chair of MLI
- Roslyn Kratochvil Moore, Deutsche Welle Akademie
16:20 Final remarks
- Dr Eileen Culloty, Associate Professor at the School of Communications, DCU and Co-Chair of MLI
16:30 Conference close
If you would like to display an A2-sized poster about your media literacy project or work at the conference, or you would like to distribute media literacy-related information to the attendees (such as leaflets, resources, etc.) please email info@medialiteracyireland.ie.
Register before November 10
