Media and information literacy in journalism: a handbook for journalists and journalism educators

This publication is a manual produced by UNESCO, aimed as a practical tool for journalists, journalism educators, media regulators, and civil society organisations in the implementation of their professional activities, and primarily engaging in media and information literacy. The manual is based on the principle of integrating the education and practice of journalism. The Manual has been developed with the inputs of media professionals, journalism educators and library and information professionals.

This Guide aims to equip journalism educators and journalist practitioners with practical guidelines and resources: 1) about media and information literacy for critical civic empowerment and engagement, 2) how to integrate MIL in journalism education and news reporting, and 3) how to stimulate dialogue between media and citizens/users to build trust in media. Based on the general concept of media and information literacy (MIL) and the work
of journalists with information sources, this Guide also deals with fact-checking, in particular, it provides tools that enable users to check the facts for authenticity, choose the most acceptable formats of fact-checking, and the possibilities of using open data for comparison and verification of facts. The Guide also provides examples of best practices, suggested exercises, readings, and assignments that help to enhance understanding and assist in the reporting of “misinformation and disinformation”. It is designed as an additional training material for the training module for journalists, journalism trainers, and teachers, and is intended for use in news organisations, media development courses, and in journalism schools.

The publication was translated into Albanian as part of the project “Developing media and information literacy in Albanian universities,” financially supported by Public Affairs’ Office of the US Embassy in Tirana. The opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this publication are only those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the State Department.