Factors that contribute to media literacy

1. The treatment of media literacy in the educational curriculum of each country: The compulsory educational curriculum is key to the development of any kind of competences.

2. The policy of training teachers on the subject: In the same way as with the curriculum, if a country adopts a policy favourable to the training of teachers in the media education and media literacy, development conditions of media competences in the population in general change radically.

3. The policy of assessing media literacy. We consider here the effort of a country to assess and measure the degree of development of its citizens in the subject of media competences

4. The existence of teaching material on the subject: These materials, their access, availability, quantity and quality contribute to improving policies of promoting media literacy.

5. The existence of systems of assistance and orientation in the field: We refer to accessible, permanent and stable orientation and assistance systems on the subject of media literacy.

6. The existence of public campaigns of media literacy

7. The existence of stable public departments of media literacy promotion.

8. The activity of civic associations in the sector: In the same way citizens, participating through civic associations with specific media literacy aims, make up a positive element for policy development.

9. The activity of regulatory activities in the sector: If you have competences in the promotion and assessment of media literacy, this is a key element in its development

10. Participation of the media in media literacy activities: specific contents and programmes: These play a decisive role. It is important that the subject is dealt with and also how it is dealt with.

11. Participation of the media industry in the sector: Here we refer to actions, not by a specific medium but by the media industry in general, that can launch programmes to specifically help media literacy.

12. Visibility in questions related to media literacy in the public sphere: An active presence of media education in the debate of citizens’ public sphere, without doubt contributes to promoting media literacy.

13. Existence of incentives and promotion policies for media production by citizens

14. Media literacy research: This means the acquisition of new knowledge on the subject of media literacy

15. Participation in networks of international co-operation

16. Family participation

17. Initiatives in media literacy in relation to commercial communication

Gaps, barriers and deficiencies

· Lack of shared vision: objectives, concepts, methods, resources, research, results evaluation, etc.

· Cultural barriers to innovation

· European visibility of national, regional and local initiatives

· Lack of European networks

· Dispersion and lack of coordination among stakeholders