Media and information literacy is the main tools for empowering people, communities, and nations to participate in and contribute to global knowledge societies. In the view of the Council of Europe, it is of utmost importance for individuals to be able to develop cognitive, technical and social skills and capacities that enable them to effectively access and critically analyse media content; to make informed decisions about which media they use and how to use them; to understand the ethical implications of media and new technologies, and to communicate effectively, including by creating content.
Media and Information Literacy (MIL) brings together three distinct dimensions: Information Literacy, Media Literacy, along with ICT and Digital Literacy.
The Council of Europe has taken a two-fold approach to MIL:
- The first objective is to set MIL within institutional frameworks.
- The second objective is to provide tools for empowering individual media users of all ages and walks of life.
As MIL is relevant to the exercise of many human rights, offline and online, the Council of Europe has in over two decades provided a number of instruments, policies, studies and activities aimed at improving MIL levels across Europe.
The Council of Europe is setting MIL within institutional frameworks. MIL guidelines are included in many Organisation’s standard-setting instruments aimed at states, policymakers as well as a range of other public and private actors with competencies to participate and cooperate within a fast-evolving digital environment. MIL is regarded as an inherent part of regulation and/or policies in areas such as education and lifelong learning, children and youth, media and information society, etc.