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Media, digital communication companies, and other content providers play a central role in information and communication processes. They are one way of communicating information, although their role is much broader than that. To the extent that such media are an important part of every society’s communication system, their institutional make-up is often meshed with a variety of non-media content providers, such as libraries, museums, archives, Internet communication companies, other information organizations and citizens who produce their own content.

For the purpose of this MIL curriculum, news media are normatively defined (irrespective of the nature and technologies used) as sources of credible and current information created through an editorial process determined by journalistic values whereby editorial accountability can be attributed to a specific organization or a legal person. This is not to ignore the realities where norms are not lived up to – such as through “media capture” cases and other normative failures, which is why critical thinking, through MIL, should be applied to the media as to all the content providers.

Media and other content providers can be assessed as to whether they live up to their normative roles. They are expected to:

• Act as channels of information and knowledge through which citizens communicate with each other and make informed decisions
• Facilitate informed debates between diverse social actors
• Provide us with much of what we learn about the world beyond our immediate experience and serve as means by which a society learns about itself and builds a sense of community
• Function as a watchdog of government in all its forms, and promote transparency in public life and public scrutiny of those in power through exposing corruption, maladministration and corporate wrong-doing
• Be essential facilitators of democratic processes and one of the guarantors of free and fair elections
• Be a vehicle for cultural expression and cultural cohesion within and between nations
• Function transparently as an advocate and social actor in their own right while respecting pluralistic values

• inform
• educate
• facilitate teaching and learning processes
• provide access to all types of information (often free of charge, plural, reliable and without restrictions)
• serve as a gateway to information
• promote universal values and civil rights, such as freedom of expression and information
• serve as society’s collective memory
• gather information
• preserve cultural heritage
• entertain

At the same time, these providers sometimes play other over-riding roles as means to make money, as a political tool, as a cultural hegemony, etc

• Explore content differences among various types of content providers, for example: which provide more information than advertising or entertainment; which give oxygen to misinformation or hate speech. Also identify the content types - for example, monographic vs serial formats and understand how they differ. Learners could explain what is the difference between each type of publication as appropriate; and name two examples for each type of publication.
• Library catalogues are a source of quality information. Ask learners to familiarize themselves with the key entries: author, title and subject, and define a topic and search for two sources of every type of information and media that they can find.
• Survey the media to find resources or media texts that are examples of the functions listed above. Identify texts that illustrate these roles on a local, national and global level.
• Compare the characteristics of library catalogues so you can use them to find the information you are researching in order to optimize time and dedication. a) Mention the library catalogues you are familiar with and search for four more, preferably from colleges. b) Do a search on a topic of your interest in the catalogues that you consider to be the best among those consulted. c) List five references of books or other materials that you found in the catalogues that you consider to be the best. Reflect on and provide arguments as to why you think they are the best.
• Survey college/university or public libraries to find books or other resources which provide information about sustainable development, democracy, other parts of the world, different cultures, social and economic life, or other issues of interest to you. Explore questions such as: Who decides on the level of resources that should be allocated to libraries? Who decides which books should be included in the library and which should be excluded? Who decides which books are more important than others? How does budget and copyright impact on role? Are libraries serving their purposes? (A similar activity could be organized for museums or archives).
• The media can encourage the development and building of a nation but can also foster exclusivist nationalism. Discuss how and why media exercise these functions. Think about the content of the media in your country. How many different points of view can you find on development, nation building and national interests and from which perspective?
• Search the web to find stories relating to the deliberate destruction of libraries, museums or archives or certain books due to war, conflicts, etc. How can you verify that this story is true? Given that this is the first unit, educators may not have been exposed to the requisite skills to answer this question, so should signal this as an upcoming competence and move on to the other questions. How could the destruction of media, libraries, archives, and of digital communications and other resources, affect people, their history or culture? What are some other implications, based on your observation, of such actions?
• What is public domain information? Research how public domain information is treated by two government institutions in your country. Debate the adequacy of information provided by these institutions. Are there national policies for how information should be made public? Do access to information laws exist in your country? Are these being used? What are citizens’ entitlements to transparency?
• Based on the answers provided from the activity suggested above, indicate the outcomes for media and information literacy (what the media and information literate person should be able to do).
• Make a list of media that are present in the daily lives of learners and educators today. What are the key roles and functions that each of these media perform? What do you think it means to be ‘literate’ when it comes to using these content providers? What knowledge, skills and attitudes are necessary?
• Keep a journal for one day in which you record your daily use and interaction with content providers, such as libraries, archives, museums, media and digital communications companies. What patterns emerge in your personal use? How many hours do you spend engaged with platforms such as the Internet, television or radio, gaming devices, etc.? What roles are these content providers playing in your life?
• Take a walking tour of your school or neighbourhood. List the examples of content providers that are present in these environments. Which of the roles listed above do these examples illustrate?

• Imagine that you wake up one day and there are no more media, libraries, or 

  institutions offering lnternet and mobile telephone services. ln addition, all newspapers, magazines, radio stations and TV channels have disappeared. Analyse in small groups what would happen to citizens:

  • How would they be informed now?
  • How would they communicate news about facts and events?
  • What would happen with the decisions you usually make?
  • What would you – personally – most miss in such a situation?
  • What would society lose with this kind of problem?
• Write a ‘letter to the editor’ with your conclusions on the value of the content providers in a democratic society, provided they live up to their normative roles.