As part of the work of UNESCO Chair on Media Freedom, Journalism Safety and the Issue of Impunity, Jackie Harrison, the Centre for Freedom of the Media held a three-day long workshop on the theme on media literacy and journalism safety on June 26-28, 2019
Designed to facilitate exchange between academic researchers and journalism safety experts from civil society organisations, the workshop explored how to develop an understanding of media literacy as a dimension of what constitutes an enabling environment for the safe practice of journalism. Participating in the workshop were Silvia Chocarro, Head of Protection of Journalists & Human Rights Defenders at ARTICLE 19, Albana Shala, Programme Co-ordinator at Free Press Unlimited and CFOM members Jackie Harrison, Sara Torsner and Stef Pukallus.
Discussing the ways in which journalism is currently under attack from political actors and other forces that seek to discredit, diminish and cast journalists as enemies of society Jackie Harrison said: ‘We are essentially discovering how media literacy can be used as a means to reclaim the narrative on the societal and civil value of journalism and how media literacy can become a tool to counter attacks and be put at the forefront of an agenda to protect journalism’.