Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine the role of community, free and university media in Spain as tools for media literacy and as instruments for creating a more critical and communicative citizenry. After a conceptual section, we analyse training processes in this area with regard to the general population and their reference communities, devoting particular emphasis to the involvement of young people. The triangulation research method was based on quantitative (a survey) and qualitative (focus groups) techniques. The results show that the third sector media in Spain act as invaluable tools for the acquisition of skills and competences that are transferable into young people’s professional and experiential sphere, given the ability of these media outlets to identify with their interests, aspirations and difficulties. In a broad sense, these initiatives contribute to expanding the right of communication in two different ways: on the one hand, because they are open to citizen participation in both management responsibilities and content programming; and, on the other, because their decentralized practices provide a laboratory for creative journalism which, in turn, is linked to social movements and other means of expression for citizens (NGOs, associations, etc.).

Abstract

This article analyses the status of media literacy in Brazil from the perspective of non-formal education. It quantifies the situation through a sample of projects (N=240) and organizations (N=107) that develop media literacy activities according to the internationally recognized three dimensions of media education (access/use, critical understanding, and media content media production). These projects are aimed at different communities of citizens according to various levels of segmentation (age, location, social status, social groups, and professional fields). The analysis shows the preponderance of activities geared to the production of audiovisual content (65.4%) and to expanding the rights and communicative capabilities of certain communities, generally excluded from the traditional mass media (45.8%). Moreover, the majority of institutions have projects with a medium and high potential of empowerment (77.6%). Based on the literature review and the analysis conducted, the research presents a model that can be used for studying media education projects in the field of non-formal education. Thus, this article offers an initial look at non-formal media literacy in a country that, due to its size and large social differences, should take advantage of the complementarities that non-formal education provides to formal education, and its curriculum, regarding the development of media education and empowerment of citizens.