Welcome to the MLI Monthly Update!
Have something you want to share with the membership? Tell us about it by emailing us at info@medialiteracyireland.ie. We are particularly interested in including your resources in the Training and Development section of the MLI website.
This Month in Media Literacy
Happy new year to all our members! It’s hard to believe January is almost over.
2025 already promises to be an exciting year for media literacy. This year has been declared the European Year of Digital Citizenship. There will be events taking place throughout Europe to promote media literacy, digital literacy and AI literacy. Keep an eye out for our upcoming newsletters for more details. A big event on the media literacy calendar is Safer Internet Day, which takes place on 11 February to promote a safer internet for all users, especially young people.
Announcements
Safer Internet Day is almost here
Safer Internet Day 2025 (SID) will take place on Tuesday, 11 February with a theme of Prepare/Protect/Thrive: Navigating Algorithms and Influencers. Coordinated in Ireland by the Irish Safer Internet Centre, there are lots of events, resources and supports available for teachers, young people and parents. See the events section of this newsletter for some key events across February and March.
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Call for papers: Consortium of National and University Libraries Conference 2025
The 2025 CONUL conference theme is Shaping Tomorrow – Reflections and New Directions. The Conference Committee is now inviting proposals for papers, lightning talks, workshops and poster presentations that address several themes, including People and Digital Futures, which may shape the future and practical elements of research and academic librarianship. The deadline for submissions is midnight on Sunday, 16 February.
More
Funding available for media literacy projects
There are currently four funding calls open that may be of interest to media literacy stakeholders and practitioners. Deadlines for applications are in February, March and April.
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Third-party fact-checking to cease on Meta
Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced in early January that Meta is ending its almost decade-long third-party fact-checking programme in the US.
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Young Journalist Ireland Programme 2025
This Student Journalism and News Literacy Journalism programme for Transition Year students is run by NewsBrands Ireland, the industry body for Ireland’s national news publishers. The programme teaches students to understand the principles and ethics of fact-based journalism, to think critically by questioning information sources, and to develop skills in identifying misinformation and disinformation. Registration for the programme is now open and the deadline is March 2025.
More
Events
Information Wars: Journalism, Digital Media and Narrative on Palestine – 7 February
EDMO Ireland and Academics for Palestine are hosting a symposium on media narratives about Palestine in the John Hand Room of DCU’s All Hallows Campus in Drumcondra, Dublin, starting at 10 a.m.
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SID webinar: What are the new rules that protect my child online? – 12 February
This webinar for parents is designed to raise awareness of the new rules that are in place to help protect children, and to create a safer online space for them. It will also highlight the resources and advice available to parents to help them support their child online, and there will be a short Q&A about the new rules and rights online.
Register now
EDMO training on health disinformation
EDMO is running an online training series on health disinformation. This comprises two morning modules that take place on 13 and 27 February.
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SID webinar: Guide to creating a family agreement for online safety – 25 February
In this short webinar the National Parents Council aims to help parents to support their child to navigate the digital world safely and positively and will equip parents with tools to foster open communication with their children about healthy online behaviour.
Register now
SID webinar: From misinformation to manipulation – 26 February
Journalist Mark Little will host this short webinar which explores what we’ve learned about trust and truth on the internet.
Register now
Voices: The European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy 2025 – 28 February to 1 March
Taking place in Zagreb, Croatia, the Voices festival will explore crucial themes shaping our relationship with information and media through talks, interactive workshops, exhibitions and networking opportunities. It aims to celebrate the pivotal roles journalism and the informed public play in societies, while fostering critical thinking around disinformation.
More
SID webinar: Addressing online bullying and developing healthy digital habits – 5 March
This webinar will offer practical tips to help children build positive and healthy online habits, ensuring safe and enjoyable digital experiences. Parents will also learn how to support their child if they encounter or engage in cyberbullying, and discover ways to connect with their child’s online world and daily experiences.
Register now
Radio Days Ireland 2025 – 27 to 28 March
This unique conference filled with all things radio is a joint initiative by Learning Waves Skillnet – the training body for the Independent Commercial Radio Sector in Ireland, and IBI – the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland. The event will run over two days in the Gibson Hotel in Dublin. Registration for the event is now open.
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In Case You Missed It
Government priorities around media and digital literacy
Coalition leaders Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, along with Independents, have outlined their key priorities around media and digital literacy in their newly ratified Programme for Government.
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Near FM Training Programmes in 2024
Near FM delivered two successful training programmes in late 2024: Young Community Leaders and Media Literacy Training and Women behind the Mic Media and Broadcast Training.
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EDMO Ireland featured in Ecorys report on media literacy
In 2023, Google commissioned Ecorys to deliver a report on media literacy research, evaluation and stakeholder engagement. EDMO Ireland was one of the organisations consulted by Ecorys as part of an overview of media literacy in Ireland. The study provided new data and evidence to support Google’s work at country and European levels, gathering and presenting learning and insights from diverse stakeholders. It culminated in a set of reports, briefings and case studies, tailored to policymakers and practitioners.
More
Digital Futures for Children research
During the last year, the UK-based Digital Futures for Children centre has published a range of highly relevant topics informed and guided by the active participation of the 5Rights Global Youth Ambassadors. They launched Your Rights Online, a child-friendly resource on the digital environment, and released the DFC Research Database with 200 open-access resources on children’s digital lives for researchers and research users everywhere.
Resource of the Month
‘Art or AI?’ Museum of Very Modern Art
This thought-provoking resource from ADAPT challenges you to spot if its artworks have been created by a human hand or generated by artificial intelligence. AI-generated art tools like DALL-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion are changing how we view art and creativity. But as humans, how good are we at distinguishing a classic from an artwork generated by a machine? This resource will have you scratching your head to figure out your Dalís from your DALL-Es.
Thanks for reading!
If you have a colleague or friend who might enjoy these updates, they can register to become an MLI member or just subscribe to receive the newsletter. For any membership issues, or if you have something you’d like to include in next month’s edition of the newsletter, please email us at info@medialiteracyireland.ie
Kind regards,
The MLI Team
