Media literacy, support for the growth of local communities


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In a public space marked by falsified and manipulated information, aggressive and polarized political discourses, media literacy is the key tool to help young people identify relevant information, discern between multiple sources of information, and also use the media to increase their involvement in the community.

The project is implemented by the Center for Independent Journalism Romania (CIJ), in partnership with the Rădăuțiul Civic Association and Norsensus Mediaforum, with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania, a program funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the 2014-2021 EEA Grants. The aim of the project is to increase the media literacy community at the national level in Romania, so that high school students acquire the skills that enable them to be informed citizens, able to interact critically and responsibly with the media, gaining immunity, at least in part, to the anti-democratic effects of misinformation.

“Our world is shaped by the media products we consume. It is vital to understand how it works, because, in this way, we all can become better prepared media consumers, as well as citizens involved in the community”, says Cristina Lupu, the executive director of CIJ. “Misinformation can affect our decisions both at the personal level, and also at the level of family, community, society. Democratic mechanisms can be affected by manipulation, so knowing how to ask the right questions and check media messages should become commonplace in everyday life, and this can only be done through media literacy”, she continues.


Romanian Language and Literature teachers will learn how to use media concepts and will develop their students’ critical thinking skills, as part of their usual classes.

Also, 80 high school students from Rădăuți will participate in non-formal media literacy workshops, becoming in turn promoters of the importance of critical thinking and information verification in their communities.


For more information about the project, please contact Cristina Jamschek, Program Director at CIJ, at educatiemedia@cji.ro.

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