[bestbits] What about promoting media and information POLICY literacy? Suggestion: "ICT+M policy literacy"

[Becky Lentz, Dr.]

This is a fantastic discussion thread and long overdue. However, I'd like to propose considering singling out the 'policy' dimension in the evolution of this conversation, i.e., being more explicit that what we're talking about is literacy 'about' the policymaking and policy advocacy aspects of this field.

With some very important exceptions, media education and media literacy conversations, traditionally, seem to have been captured by a protectionist and/or a skills agenda...how to 'use' media and technology more skillfully, carefully, etc. In the five years I've been teaching 'media governance' at an international university, I'm still amazed at students from development studies, political science, sociology, and other disciplines who say that they never heard about 'this' policy studies area, until taking my courses. After exposure, they're keen to get involved, but what's the 'path' for this? Some started a campus-based chapter of openmedia.ca as one step while still in university. Others have gone on to intern and so on, but again, few of the NGOs in this field have outreach programs that allow academics to facilitate linking their students with experiential opportunities to learn more. Diplo does some of this, as we know, but it's aimed primarily at diplomats, not university students keen to get involved in the future of the internet as they are eager to imagine it. At the same time, many NGOs have considerable human resource needs that continue to go unfunded. There is a way to work on this, if we make it an area 'to be worked on.'

By comparison, the environmental protection, public health, and human rights policy fields enjoy much more infrastructure for educating about the policy dimensions of their sectors...so, environmental literacy might mean becoming more aware of the environment, but there's also an educational and professional path (even degree programs, certificates, etc.) to pursue if one is interested in becoming part of that field as a career path. And as we know, "human rights education" (HRE) is a mini-industry of its own with sustainable funding from the UN to advance its goals, agendas, etc. Many groups incorporate policy literacy in their work, so why not make more explicit partnerships between academia (where the younger folks someone mentioned already 'are') with NGOs doing policy work so that we can cultivate a stronger 'pipeline/feeder system/pathway' TO media policy advocacy in the public interest?

I guess what I'm suggesting is that we consider talking about 'information, communication, technology, and media (ICT+M) policy  literacy' to begin to try to address the capacity building challenges inherent in ICT+M policy change, more broadly. What about a new IGF dynamic coalition around 'capacity building', that includes ICT+M policy literacy? That said, what parts of existing dynamic coalitions are already explicitly dealing with capacity building programs, issues, agendas? Might there be a way to connect that work horizontally across DN's?

Becky Lentz
McGill University
[X]
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