The content in this newsletter is a collection of media literacy related news and information from a wide range of sources and inclusion does not imply the endorsement of Media Literacy Ireland.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The media literacy community had a spring in its step this month with initiatives and activities that focused on digital citizenship, tackling mis- and disinformation, and more. Read on for details of past and upcoming events along with insightful research and reports to inform and inspire your media literacy work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n On 5 March, Webwise launched Switched On<\/a>, a digital citizenship programme for 5th and 6th Class pupils that was developed in collaboration with and supported by Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n. The programme is designed to help teachers support pupils in becoming safe, responsible and confident digital citizens as they prepare for the transition to post-primary school. A webinar for teachers to explore the new programme took place on 24 March and a recording can be viewed here<\/a><\/strong>. On 23 March, Lord Mayor of Dublin Cllr Ray McAdam launched Near FM\u2019s new media literacy series Mad <\/em>About Media<\/em>. A collaboration with FET Dh\u00falaigh and supported by Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n\u2019s Sound and Vision fund, the series features media students discussing a wide range of topics with journalists, academics and media experts. The programmes are broadcast every Monday at 6 p.m. on Near FM and are available after broadcast as a podcast. Media Literacy Ireland was delighted to be the official client partner for the 2026 Irish Young Lions Competition, in which teams were asked to develop media literacy campaigns with a particular focus on tackling misinformation among the over-55 age group in Ireland. The shortlist was announced on 16 March, and an expert judging panel will decide which of the winning teams will go forward to compete internationally at the Young Lions Competition, to be held in France later this year. DCU FUJO is part of a new European initiative, ChangingTIDE, which aims to strengthen citizens\u2019 resilience in the face of disinformation, information manipulation, and foreign interference by promoting media literacy and empowering young people to engage in democratic processes. Implemented across six EU member states, the project officially launched on 6 March under the leadership of the Trans European Policy Studies Association. FraudSMART is warning consumers about a highly convincing scam where fraudsters pretend to be your bank and arrange for your bank card to be collected from your home for \u2018security reasons\u2019. These so-called courier card scams are carefully planned and designed to create urgency and fear in order to get victims to hand over their bank card. FraudSMART has provided details about how these scams work along with tips for how to protect yourself. A European project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and running from 2025 to 2027, ESC-MISINFO (Escape Misinformation in the Library)<\/a> seeks to empower young Europeans with the skills to question, analyse and navigate today\u2019s digital media landscape with confidence, with a special focus on climate-related information. Instead of relying on traditional teaching methods, the project turns learning into an experience through game-based approaches, including serious games and escape room-style activities. Whether you are seeking funding for your project, partnerships, data on EU-funded results, domain expertise, or the latest events, the European Commission\u2019s new EU funding & Me app makes finding the right information much easier. Synchronised with the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, the app is designed to be simple and accessible, offering on-the-go and easily searchable access to funding opportunities, programmes, project results, news and events. Learning Waves confirmed that it was awarded funding under the new Media Skills and Development Programme from Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n to continue to deliver a comprehensive programme of training and development for the independent commercial radio sector. The funding will also be used for Learning Waves\u2019 Journalism Graduate Programme, which provides hands-on industry training and real-world experience in commercial radio stations across Ireland. The Investigative Journalism for Europe (IJ4EU) programme has opened two new calls for proposals, offering funding for ambitious cross-border collaborations on stories of public interest. Under the Investigation Support Scheme<\/a>, journalistic teams can apply for grants of up to \u20ac50,000, while IJ4EU\u2019s parallel Freelancer Support Scheme<\/a> offers grants of up to \u20ac20,000 to teams made up predominantly of freelance journalists, alongside additional mentoring and training. The deadline for applications is 13 April<\/strong>. First published in 2022, the <\/strong>European Commission\u2019s Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training <\/em>have now been updated. These guidelines provide practical advice and suggestions that teachers can apply in their classrooms to help students enhance their digital literacy competences and to use these competences to tackle the ever-growing challenge of disinformation. Despite growing recognition of the importance of MIL, reliable global data on the status of national MIL policies and the integration of MIL in school curricula has remained largely unavailable or difficult to analyse. This UNESCO research provides a critical baseline to map the current landscape of MIL adoption and integration across its 194 member states. This Council of Europe report, authored by former MLI Chair Prof. Brian O\u2019Neill, is designed to help member states develop national MIL strategies and provide actionable steps to counter disinformation and promote information integrity. This report from the Council of Europe was designed to help member states translate international standards into practical national measures to counter disinformation and promote information integrity. It features Ireland\u2019s National Counter Disinformation Strategy as one of the highlighted promising practices. Efforts to counter foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation across Europe are facing mounting challenges. A report<\/a>, based on EU DisinfoLab\u2019s experience facilitating a working group, introduces the Information Manipulation Sets (IMS) framework as a practical way to enhance attribution standards and bolster countermeasures. Countering FIMI is especially complicated in a war context when there is massive use of digital platforms to spread illegal content. The European Audiovisual Observatory has published a new report that analyses Ukraine\u2019s media sector and current media legislation with a view to countering the impact of FIMI in the context of the ongoing war. As the UK Government seeks to lower the voting age to 16, research suggests that, without targeted support, many young people may struggle to engage confidently or meaningfully in democratic life. A joint briefing from Internet Matters and fact-checking organisation Full Facts draws on new research and finds that young people must be empowered and equipped with the skills and knowledge to engage with the news, politics and current affairs they encounter online. A research project funded by the Research Council of Finland aimed to enhance knowledge about the nature, scope and practices of the media and robot literacies of people aged 65 and over living in Finland. In this research, robots are considered the next new media, as they are becoming increasingly common providers of information and services. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) is an EU-wide network of factcheckers, media literacy practitioners, and researchers seeking to build resilience to disinformation. EDMO Ireland is one of 14 hubs that is part-funded by the EU. EDMO Ireland developed the Be Media Smart \u2018Workshop-in-a-Box\u2019, works on media literacy research and standards, and co-hosts the annual Disinformation Forum with MLI. EDMO Ireland’s Eileen Culloty appeared on Pat Kenny’s new Newstalk show to discuss how generative AI is transforming information warfare<\/a>. Meanwhile, EDMO’s fact-checking partner, TheJournal FactCheck<\/a>, has debunked a range of fake and recycled footage about the war in the Middle East.\u00a0A link is provided\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0to sign up for regular updates\u00a0from\u00a0The Journal\u00a0FactCheck.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n A joint initiative by the CyberPeace Institute and EU DisinfoLab, the European Democracy Resilience Network (EDRN) pilot is designed to support civil society actors facing hybrid threats, including disinformation, doxing, impersonation and other digitally enabled attacks. An EU DisinfoLab webinar on 2 April <\/strong>will provide key insights from the pilot, including the tools and support mechanisms that civil society organisations say they need to remain resilient. The European Commission\u2019s decision to fine X under the Digital Services Act (DSA) was strongly supported by evidence produced by civil society organisations but collecting, packaging and submitting usable evidence remains difficult in practice. In an EU DisinfoLab webinar on 9 April<\/strong>, AI Forensics, one of the organisations that has significantly contributed to evidence production, will share how evidence was gathered and structured, the lessons learned and what risks emerged when protections failed. This session is reserved for regulators and civil society groups working on countering disinformation. A Media & Learning Association webinar on 22 April <\/strong>will demonstrate how creating and producing radio shows or podcasts can help young people critically analyse media content, understand responsible communication, and develop both creative and technical skills. The session will feature practitioner case studies, examples of ongoing initiatives, and practical guidelines. This online course offers an overview of the essential tools, practices and considerations for those developing a documentary, investigative story or historical project, and will look at best practices for verifying sources to avoid deepfakes, misinformation and other credibility risks. This paid-for course takes place on the 22 <\/strong>and 24 April<\/strong>. Transition Year students from across Ireland will gather at the Lighthouse Cinema in Dublin on 29 April<\/strong> for a day dedicated to creativity, confidence and careers in media. TY Media Day 2026, developed by Learning Waves in partnership with Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n, is built around the theme Learn | Inspire | Connect<\/em> and will bring together media professionals, young creators and industry leaders to share their experiences and help students explore the many paths available in today\u2019s media landscape. An initiative by education-focused social enterprise Kinia, Experience AI is an educational programme that offers free resources on AI and machine learning for teachers and students. The resources include lesson plans, slide decks, worksheets and videos, and training events have been held around the country over the last couple of months.\u00a0 You can register for an upcoming in-person training day taking place on 30 April in \u00a0Limerick\u00a0here<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following a stakeholder meeting of the CULT Committee (Committee on Culture and Education)<\/a> on A New Strategy for Media Literacy and Digital Learning, <\/em>a policy statement has been issued that reflects the views and recommendations of the Media & Learning Association on behalf of its 110 members in 30 European countries, the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) and its network of EDMO Hubs. The recommendations can be viewed here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organised by the Children\u2019s Media Foundation in partnership with BAFTA, the second Children\u2019s Media Summit took place in London on 16 February and welcomed delegates from children\u2019s advocacy bodies, broadcasters, producers, researchers, platforms, regulators and policymakers. The aim was to discuss and develop actionable proposals for change in order to build a better viewing experience for children and young people. Videos of all the sessions can be viewed here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third edition of the Voices Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom took place in Florence on 10\u201312 March 2026. As an EU-funded initiative, Voices aims to connect journalism and media literacy communities with European citizens and promote a shared understanding of the role of information in democratic societies. Google\u2019s Dublin HQ acted as the global stage for the Growing Up in the Digital Age summit on 11 March with over 220 guests from more than 27 countries exploring how to support and empower young people to have safer experiences in the online world. It also marked the launch of a major teen wellbeing and digital literacy initiative from Google.org<\/a> and YouTube. Featuring journalists and experts from the University of Oxford and beyond, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism hosted a one-day conference on 17 March that explored how AI is changing journalism. The event included panel discussions and lightning talks on AI coverage, how AI is being used for investigations and fact-checking, and what AI means for wider society. The event can be viewed here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Media Literacy Ireland was well represented at a recent High-Level Conference on Media Literacy and Information in Chisinau, Moldova, with MLI National Coordinator Martina Chapman and former Chair Brian O\u2019Neill both participating in panel discussions about the role of media literacy in countering disinformation and FIMI. The Digital Services Act (DSA) is built on a distinction between services that host user content and those that create it, but systems such as ChatGPT or AI-powered search tools produce AI-generated outputs rather than merely storing or ranking third-party content. This EU DisinfoLab webinar examines whether generative AI providers or deployers can fall within the DSA\u2019s intermediary regime, and what this means for liability, risk governance and enforcement, including in relation to systemic risks such as disinformation. The Algowatch<\/a> project has just been completed after two years (2023\u20132025) of intense creation of resources and dissemination in schools and museum exhibits. It was funded under the European Commission\u2019s Creative Europe programme and focuses on educating students and citizens about the challenges of algorithms and AI in the field of information and digital citizenship, using an MIL framework and design. Algowatch won the Media Literacy Initiative for Young People award at the 2025 MLI Awards, with judges noting that the project stood out for its novelty, reach and depth. Resources<\/a> include interactive quizzes, games and an MIL Competence framework in Algo-AI literacy. The resources<\/a> section of the MLI website provides easy access to a variety of resources on a wide range of media literacy topics. You can now filter by topic, target audience and resource type. If you would like to submit a resource for inclusion in this library, please complete this<\/a> form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a colleague or friend who might enjoy these updates, they can register to become an MLI member<\/a> or just subscribe<\/a> to receive the newsletter. For any membership issues, or if you have something you’d like to include in next month\u2019s edition of the newsletter, please email us at info@medialiteracyireland.ie<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kind regards, <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Read the November MLI newsletter for media literacy related news and updates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1309,"featured_media":5551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[349,23],"tags":[294,162,267],"class_list":["post-6786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mli-news-2","category-news","tag-media-literacy-events","tag-media-literacy-ireland","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThis Month in Media Literacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Announcements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.medialiteracyireland.ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Annoucements-cropped.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Webwise launches Switched On \u2013 A digital citizenship programme for primary schools<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nNear FM launches new\u00a0Mad about Media<\/em>\u00a0series<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nShortlist announced for Irish Young Lions Competition 2026<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nChangingTIDE project to empower young adults as media literacy ambassadors<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nFraudSMART warning \u2013 Beware of courier card scams<\/strong> <\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\nESC-MISINFO: Escaping Misinformation, One Game at a Time<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nLooking for EU funding? Check out the EU Funding & Me app <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nLearning Waves secures Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n funding for 2026 <\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\nCalls to the Media Literacy Community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Funding call: IJ4EU funding for cross-border investigations<\/strong> <\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a>
<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nResearch and Reports<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nUpdated European Commission Guidelines on Tackling Disinformation published<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nMedia and information literacy for all: Closing the gaps<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nNational Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies report<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nResisting Disinformation: Ten building blocks to strengthen information integrity<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nBuilding a common operational picture of FIMI<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are the Ukrainian safeguards against disinformation and foreign interference?<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nPreparing young people to vote in a complex, attention-driven information environment<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nNew insights on older adults\u2019 robot literacy<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\nEDMO Updates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat is EDMO?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nUpdates<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Webinar: How can civil society defend itself? The EDRN pilot story \u2013 2 April<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\nWebinar: Civil society evidence under the DSA: lessons from AI Forensics \u2013 9 April<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nWebinar: Media Literacy in Action: Producing Radio and Podcasts for Young Audiences<\/strong> \u2013 22 April<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nOnline course: Media Literacy \u2013 Research, Rights and Reality \u2013 22 and 24 April<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nLearning Waves: TY training day \u2013 29 April<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nExperience AI: Upcoming training day \u2013 30 April<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Case You Missed It <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMedia & Learning Association\u2019s recommendations for A New Strategy for Media Literacy and Digital Learning \u2013 5 February<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
The Children\u2019s Media Summit 2026 \u2013 16 February<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Voices: The European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom \u2013 10\u201312 March<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n4th Annual Growing Up in the Digital Age Summit \u2013 11 March<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nReuters Institute conference: AI and the Future of News 2026 \u2013 17 March<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Media literacy takes centre stage at Council of Europe conference \u2013 20 March<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nAI-generated content and DSA enforcement: who is accountable? \u2013 26 March<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nResource of the Month <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAlgowatch<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
More<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nLooking for media literacy resources?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Thanks for reading!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The MLI Team<\/p>\n\n\n\n