Media Literacy as a national priority: Key outcomes from the 2025 national forum in Sofia

A national conference on media literacy was held on October 20, 2025, at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) in Sofia, co-organized by the Media Literacy Coalition, UNWE, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. The event gathered over 100 participants (speakers and audience), including school directors, teachers, students, media professionals, business representatives, and non-profit organizations to discuss the challenges and opportunities for advancing media literacy in Bulgaria.

The conference program featured three thematic panels: media literacy in school curricula, media and responsibility, and the intersection of business and civic engagement. The discussions focused on the integration of media literacy in education, the changing media landscape, professional integrity in journalism, the influence of technology and business on information integrity, and the need for constructive partnerships between schools, media, and the wider community.

A central outcome of the event was the launch of an open appeal by the Media Literacy Coalition to political parties, the Council of Ministers, the National Assembly, and relevant parliamentary committees in Bulgaria. The appeal calls for making media literacy a national priority and urges for coordinated policy action and strategic planning to embed media literacy at all levels of education and civic life. The full text of the appeal and an invitation to support it by signature are available online at: https://gramoten.li/2025/10/20/mediinatagramotnostkatoprioritet/.