Federal government prepares national media education policy

The federal government is formulating a document for the implementation of the National Media Education Policy. This information was provided by the National Secretary for Digital Policies of the Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic, João Brant. “We are going to launch in the coming weeks a base document for this discussion of media education policy for consultations and public hearing”, said Brant, when participating in a virtual public hearing held, this Friday (12), on the fight against fake news [notícias falsas] on the internet, promoted by the Commissions for Representation to Monitor Compliance with Laws (Comprase!) and for the Defense of Human Rights and Citizenship, of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj). According to the secretary, the new policy will also involve the ministries of Human Rights, Education and Health. The debate will include, among other initiatives, media education in basic education, linked to the mechanisms of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), continued teacher training, the formulation of didactic materials, guidance on the conscious use of the internet by children and adolescents and partnerships with civil society organizations, in addition to the dissemination of media education content. Bill The chairman of the Cumpra-se! Commission, Deputy Carlos Minc, said that the proposals presented by the participants in the debate will be incorporated into Bill 4791/20, which he authored, which establishes the Media Education Program in State Schools from Rio de Janeiro. Minc pointed out that, in justifying the project, 62% of the people interviewed acknowledged that they had already believed in disinformation. “There are several measures to raise awareness among students. How to verify a source, a photo, talk to parents, with the teacher. As for the possibility of approval, here we vote on pioneering laws in Brazil. It is a complex issue and just one law is not enough, there must be a debate”, said the parliamentarian. The deputy’s project is inspired by successful strategies against disinformation applied in Finland. The Education Counselor at the Embassy of Finland, Johanna Kivimaki, explained the method used in schools in her country. “Children are introduced to the consumption and production of different forms of media, in a playful and safe environment. The veracity and reliability of the media and its sources are also analyzed together with the students so that they develop critical thinking. Misinformation is a threat to society democracy,” she said.

Agência Brasil