The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has joined with its public broadcasting counterparts in the United States and Canada to call for an international boost for media literacy to counter the impact of ‘fake news’.
Managing Director at the ABC, David Anderson said the call coincided with Global Media and Information Literacy Week, which runs until 31 October.
“We want to ensure people are informed, engaged and empowered media consumers and creators, helping them navigate the fast-changing media landscape,” Mr Anderson said.
He said each broadcaster had created interactive learning materials to equip people with the skills to become critical thinkers, effective communicators and engaged citizens.
“These resources help students and teachers address issues such as disinformation and underline the commitment by public broadcasters to foster social inclusion, cohesion and trust,” Mr Anderson said.
“At a time of rising distrust in many institutions, public broadcasters are best-placed to inform and educate people about the importance of media literacy.”
He said the ABC’s national Media Literacy Week highlighted its commitment to combatting spin, misinformation and so-called fake news.
“We are proud to partner with public broadcasters in engaging and empowering citizens to better understand the world around them,” Mr Anderson said.
President and Chief Executive of CBC/Radio-Canada, Catherine Tait said disinformation was a global challenge which called for global solutions.
“This is an important part of our ongoing work to help ensure all Canadians have the tools they need to have confidence in trusted sources of news and information,” Ms Tait said.
