“A very important contribution”: Book launch of the 6th Congress on Literacy, Media and Citizenship
On May 29, in the Salão Nobre of Palácio Baldaya, in Benfica, the Proceedings of the 6th Congress on Literacy, Media and Citizenship: Digital Transition and Public Policies were launched. This publication brings together the communications presented during the event organized in 2023 by the Informal Group on Media Literacy (GILM).
The book, published by the Polytechnic University of Lisbon (IPL) and available online, was organized by Fernanda Bonacho, professor at the School of Communication and Media Studies (ESCS) of IPL. She served as president of the Congress, represents ESCS in the GILM, and holds the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media and Information Literacy and Citizenship, at ESCS-IPL.
A resource that should be “visible”
At the launch ceremony, Luís Osório, journalist and writer invited to present the book, began by saying that this “is a fundamental book, a very important contribution to the area of media literacy and communication” in Portugal.
It is “highly relevant” that IPL “makes these resources available,” said the member of the General Council of the IPL, also highlighting the responsibility of higher education institutions in disseminating scientific knowledge that contributes to a democratic society.
The book brings together 22 texts on the educational, political, and technological challenges posed by digital innovation and the complexity of communication, and it includes contributions by leading international experts in media literacy.
“It is important that your work can have even more effective impact, that it can be visible,” said Luís Osório. The journalist also highlighted the good atmosphere among the people in the room. “You can see how well they know each other and talk to each other, how well they get along—they really do”, he emphasized, noting that this is an aspect “of great value these days”.
Around 40 people attended the ceremony, including professors and students from ESCS-IPL, members of the IPL presidency, and over a dozen representatives of GILM members.
GILM is currently composed of 15 institutions – namely, Agência Lusa (Portuguese news agency), DNS.PT Association, Centro de Internet Segura (from the National Cybersecurity Center), UNESCO National Commission, National Education Council, Directorate-General for Education, ERC-Entidade Reguladora para a Comunicação Social (Portuguese media regulator), ESCS-IPL, Cinema and Audiovisual Portuguese Institute (ICA), Observatory of Communication (OberCom), National Reading Plan (PNL), National Cinema Plan (PNC), RTP (Portuguese radio and tv broadcaster), School Libraries Network (RBE) and the Mission Structure #PortugalMediaLab/Secretariat-General of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – and Vítor Tomé, as guest expert.
More than a decade of the Congress on Literacy, Media and Citizenship
Media literacy is an “essential skill for the world we live in today,” not only because of the risks of “disinformation and polarization,” but also due to the “entire communication ecosystem” and the need to “understand the information we are exposed to,” recalled Fernanda Bonacho, the organizer of the newly released book. “It is worth remembering that media literacy goes far beyond knowledge of technologies,” she added.
In order to contribute to the dissemination of scientific knowledge and reflection on these issues, GILM has organized the Congress on Literacy, Media and Citizenship every two years since 2011.
Recalling the two days of the sixth edition, dedicated to “Digital Transition and Public Policies,” which ESCS hosted in April 2023, Fernanda Bonacho highlighted the active participation of students in covering the event; the tribute session to Mário Mesquita, a leading figure in the defense of freedom and journalism in Portugal and former ESCS lecturer; and the reference to the launch of the National Media Literacy Plan by then Minister of Culture, Pedro Adão e Silva.
The 7th Congress on Literacy, Media and Citizenship will take place at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra on November 27 and 28 this year, and will be dedicated to “Behaviors, Narratives, and Human Rights.”
