A major research by member organizations of the network Soth East European Network for Professionalization of the Media (SEENPM) finds that countries of the region of the Western Balkans lack comprehensive policies and institutional framework for developing Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in a systematic way and at scale.
The regional research, intended for mapping and better understanding of the situation and development of media and information literacy in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, was conducted in 2018 by researchers from SEENPM member organisations, the Albanian Media Institute, the Mediacentar Sarajevo, the Macedonian Institute for Media, the Montenegro Media Institute and the Novi Sad School of Journalism, under regional coordination of the Peace Institute in Ljubljana.
The book includes five country reports, mapping the status of MIL initiatives in different aspects for each country. Each report focuses on different priorities, such as public policy initiatives related to MIL and the role of public institutions, the role of civil society in promoting MIL, the integration of MIL into the educational system, and comparison of existing policies in Western Balkans with case studies from Western Europe. The publication also includes a regional chapter, which compares the different perspectives and realities in each country, and also emphasizes the need for different actors to work more in the area of media and information literacy. While the regional chapter warns against the trend of considering MIL a cure-all, it also highlights the dire need for addressing and encouraging MIL policies and initiatives in all Western Balkan countries.
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The publication was produced within the regional program Media for Citizens – Citizens for Media : Strengthening the Capacity of NGOs for the Development of Media and Information Literacy in the Western Balkans” , implemented with the support of the European Union by partner organizations Mediacentar Sarajevo, Albanian Media Institute, Macedonian Institute for Media, Montenegro Media Institute, Novi Sad School of Journalism, Peace Institute, SEENPM. The publication can be downloaded in English here: