The so-called literacy (or literacy or literacy) in the media, i.e. the ability of the citizen to perceive Misinformation If she knocks on his door, it is taught as a lesson (Media Literacy) In its schools Estonia – From kindergarten to high school, in small classes combined with other courses but separately in large classes – already in 2010, for more than a decade.
Education on issues related to what we call media literacy, i.e. the ability of citizens to filter and evaluate the reliability of daily “bombed” information in the digital world. Social media “Mathematics is not only considered as important as teaching, writing or reading,” Sime Kumbas, a former strategic adviser to the Estonian government and now a member of the European External Action Service (EEAS), told the BBC. Its diplomatic service is officially known European union.
In Estonia in particular, related education already begins in kindergarten, with young children pressing buttons on toys, for example, allowing them to get the first basic picture of coding processes.
Then, as they grow up, children learn how to create digital content (digital content) while at the same time being taught all the basics of secure web browsing so that they can go online as safely as possible, avoiding any risks. To help them with this, they also “add” relevant cartoon-animations that are displayed on special education content websites.
Alumni attend theoretical (mandatory, long-term) courses on the role of the media, thus learning more about the influence of the media and the mechanisms of propaganda. In the same context, they learn about the operation of bots and trolls online, but also about the differences between each event and the differences between the concept or concept present in each event but without actually having the same level of objectivity.
At the same time, the high school curriculum offers (at some option) teenagers creating their own digital media content so they know about the production process and how to handle it.
In the same context, teachers are also trained, while specialized online exam questions are developed so that the respondent’s ability to perceive misinformation and fake news can be assessed.
Classification
“Better education creates the conditions for the development of strong critical thinking and enhances better data reliability control skills (Verification of truth) “, Marin Lesensky, Director of the Open Society Institute in Sofia, Bulgaria, publishes the list annually Media Literacy TableRanks countries based on their ability to resist misinformation, press freedom across borders and their literacy in the media.
According to the relevant rankings for 2021, the countries with the best relative performance are:
- Finland
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Sweden
- Ireland
In comparison, the Hellos Ranked 27th out of the top 35 countries Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan is 31st.
But how did we get to the point where small and relatively poor countries like Estonia (with a population of 1.3 million) were far ahead in terms of media literacy?
The “shock” of 2007
It all started in the spring 2007, When Estonian officials, banks, the media and public services were the target of a series of cyber-attacks by actors close to the Russian side. The reason for the attacks was, above all, the removal of the Soviet statue.
The shock was so great, improvements began. Beginning in 2008 in Estonia and especially in the country’s capital Tallinn, for example, Center for Excellence in NATO Cyber ​​Defense (NATO Cooperative Cyber ​​Defense Center of Excellence) It is to be recalled that the Greek Defense Minister Nicos Panagiotopoulos visited Estonia last November.
Misinformation and misinformation
However, since 2008, many other events have taken place. Misinformation campaigns on Brexit, but more recently, the Govt-19 epidemic (see Conspiracy theories, action vaccines, etc.) that cast a heavy shadow over the 2016 US presidential election (see Trump victory) are false news in the face of practically misinformation and challenges.
In essence, however, we are talking about the challenges that threaten to create cracks in the social fabric by distracting and misleading citizens, and undermining the confidence of a nation’s institutions and citizens. In this sense, these are challenges that affect the national security of each country and the regression to external and internal threats. As a result, the development of security mechanisms through education is seen as a matter of national security in countries such as Estonia.
With information from the BBC
