To mark its third annual national Media Literacy Week, ABC Education has partnered with the newly formed Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA) to combat the spread of spin, misinformation and “fake news” around the world.

AMLA brings together some of the nation’s leading cultural and educational institutions to advocate for high-quality education programs and resources and to raise awareness of the need for robust media literacy education for all Australians.

ABC Education’s Media Literacy website also features new resources to teach students about using data and statistics, as well as  “fake news” interactives and  online lessons with RMIT/ABC Fact Check about subjects such as “information disorder” and spotting fake images.

ABC Head of Education, Annabel Astbury (pictured right), said: “The ABC is delighted to partner with AMLA in educating people about the essential need of media literacy for all Australians. Through Media Literacy Week and the ABC  Education Website, we will connect students and teachers with high quality and trustworthy content that equips them with the skills to think critically about the media they consume and create every day.”

Executive Director of ALIA and AMLA representative, Sue McKerracher, said: “If ever there has been a time for promoting authentic, accurate, timely information over fake news and misinformation, it is now – during a global pandemic. We very much welcome this leadership from the ABC. Media Literacy Week gives us a focus for our awareness-raising work and valuable content to share with our audiences.”

The ABC’s third national Media Literacy Week coincides with UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week, from 24-31 October, which promotes media literacy as a way to foster social inclusion and intercultural dialogue.

The 2020 Media Literacy Week, from 26-31 October, features special events to help teachers and students navigate the news and media landscape, including:

• Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) online professional learning session on media literacy for librarians and teacher librarians.

• National Sound and Film Archive discussion on the “psychology of persuasion” – media literacy and advertising in Australia.

• The Foundation for Young Australians panel discussion about their report “Missing: Young People in Australian News Media”, which examines how young people have been represented by the media during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• ABC’s Behind the News (BTN) special media-literacy themed “Ask a Reporter” episode on Friday 30 October.

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