LJMU lecturer addresses Lords' committee on media literacy

An LJMU expert has spoken at a House of Lords inquiry to call for schoolchildren to be taught about navigating the media.

Head of Journalism Fran Yeoman said media literacy should be embedded in the schools’ curriculum as she gave evidence to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s ongoing inquiry into the matter.

Fran, a former national newspaper journalist, who heads one of England’s leading teams training journalists to degree level, also urged cross-departmental governmental leadership on media literacy and not just on digital inclusion.

It is not enough to ensure that people can get online without ensuring they also have the critical thinking skills to thrive, including knowing how to find and evaluate reliable information, when they get there.

Fran Yeomans, Head of Journalism at LJMU

Fran is a Trustee of the Media and Information Literacy Alliance and also a member of Ofcom’s Making Sense of the Media Advisory Panel.

Our children live in a world of powerful 24/7 media. Children aged between eight and 12 spend an average four to six hours a day on screens, often exposed to messages and information that can have a negative impact on their health and wellbeing and prevent them from becoming empowered and engaged citizens.

Supporting media literacy

Used well, media can entertain, inform, and engage our children in positive ways, Fran says. But giving them the skills and knowledge to do this is complex and not something that can be left only to the market or the media industry itself.

“The news media does play a role in supporting media literacy, and the authentic experiences of journalists are important to news literacy education, but the news media faces many challenges of its own at the moment and it cannot be expected to lead on this. Media literacy should be about teaching independent, critical thought.

“What the industry can do is to pursue the kind of journalism that promotes critical thinking, by ensuring transparency, fact-checking and reporting on issues such as misinformation.”

Fran added: “It is really welcome that the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee is investigating these issues, which affect us at family and national levels. I hope their report recommends that government, the platforms and others need to redouble their efforts to tackle these issues in a coordinated and properly funded way, including by making sure that every school pupil receives media literacy education.”