Abstract
Arising from a EU-funded project, this volume is focused on media literacy and decreasing the spread of false information, with particular emphasis on young people. It is directed towards scholars, decision makers, and organisations working with and on media literacy. The strategies for reducing negative disinformation in European countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia) are analysed and compared in success throughout the chapters. The commonalities between the chosen countries in this study are their post-communist backgrounds (with the exception of Germany) and hence a decreased solidification of democracy within their societies. The data collected is that of online surveys and interviews with policy makers and experts in media literacy. A large part of the volume is interested in the Media Literacy for Active Citizenship and Sustainable Democracy (MELIA Observatory) project, focused on improving media literacy within the Danube Regions. In Chapter 2, the theory of the concept and operationalisations of media education and literacy are presented. Drawing on these perspectives, Chapter 3 evaluates the trends in the relationship between political environment and media literacy by discussing countries within the MELIA project and the integration of media literacies in schools. Chapter 4 shows the difference in civil society and political outreach projects by presenting success stories of projects focused on youths, with an analysis of data surrounding media consumption patterns of young people in post-communist countries and the effects on democratic structures. The legislation of all countries is compared in Chapter 5. MELIA countries are prioritised in Chapter 6, identifying common topics of disinformation with emphasis on discrimination against the Roma population and COVID-19 matters. The concluding chapter summarises the findings and suggests the importance of political and civic cooperation and communication, whilst recognising the importance that media literacy plays in informing the youth/future generation who will be in leading political positions.