Strasbourg, 7 April 2020

The importance of media literacy in a shifting media environment has been brought to the fore by the onset of the current Coronavirus crisis.

How should I read the news, is the information from social media reliable, how can I be sure whether what I am reading is true and where can I check my sources? These and other questions are especially pertinent for young people, many of whom have little experience in learning how to locate, evaluate, and critically analyse the information they should be consuming about the world.

As part of its LEMON Project (‘Learning Modules Online’), the Council of Europe offers two free online self-learning courses on this topic.

The ‘Keys to Media Literacy’ course takes only two hours to complete. Course topics include: the importance of media literacy, key elements to consider when assessing online information and the role of educators in the digital age.

The 20 hour online self-learning course ‘Media and Information Disorder’ is directed mainly at teachers and trainers. It sets out the main insights into various forms of information disorder. The course provides practical examples on how to identify and analyse various media resources, as well as develop teaching approaches for meeting the challenges of digital citizenship. Learners are awarded a certificate on successful completion of this course.

To register for these and other self-learning courses, please go to the Council of Europe Education Portal for Online Learning