{"id":47113,"date":"2026-06-09T15:49:34","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/?p=47113"},"modified":"2026-06-09T15:51:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T13:51:28","slug":"international-media-literacy-research-symposium-2025-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/subject\/lifelong-learning\/international-media-literacy-research-symposium-2025-highlights\/","title":{"rendered":"International Media Literacy Research Symposium 2026: Highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Chlo\u00e9 P\u00e9t\u00e9, Media & Learning Association. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year marked my first attendance at the International Media Literacy Research Symposium <\/a>(IMLRS), and what a location: Rome!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having attended many conferences over the years, I am very used to predominantly European audiences. One of the things I appreciated most about IMLRS was its genuinely international nature. Throughout the symposium, I had the opportunity to meet and exchange with colleagues from Australia, the United States, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, India, the Philippines, and many other countries. It was a valuable reminder that while media literacy is shaped by different political, social, and cultural contexts, many of the questions we face are similar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conference kicked off on Thursday, 4 June, with three pre-conference workshops, one of which I had the pleasure of facilitating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the sunny weather and all the temptations Rome has to offer, the workshop attracted many participants! Titled “EDMO3: Building Media Literacy Capacity at Scale \u2013 Exploring What an International Media Literacy Support Centre Could Look Like”<\/em>, the session aimed to explore some of the challenges and opportunities ahead for the media literacy community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially, I had prepared a very traditional presentation. However, after some helpful discussions and brainstorming with colleagues beforehand, it became clear that a more interactive format would be a better way to start the symposium. Instead of jumping straight into the presentation, we began with practical exercises and group discussions to break the ice and get participants thinking collectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Before presenting the upcoming work planned within EDMO3 on media literacy and societal resilience, including the different tasks and timelines ahead, participants were invited to reflect on: What could media literacy capacity at scale look like?<\/em> And perhaps more importantly, what would an international media literacy support centre actually look like?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What struck me most was how quickly common themes emerged across the different groups. Participants came from different countries, sectors, and professional backgrounds, yet there was considerable alignment in their responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One recurring idea was that media literacy support needs to exist both physically and virtually. Participants highlighted the importance of local educators, trainers, librarians, journalists, and community actors who can provide trusted guidance and support. At the same time, there was recognition that support also needs to be available online for those who may not have the time, resources, capacity or opportunity to access it in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was also a strong feeling that media literacy initiatives need to become more attractive, engaging, and visible than many of the formats currently available. If media literacy is competing for attention within highly sophisticated digital environments, then the way we communicate and engage audiences must evolve as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another theme that emerged consistently was the importance of representation and inclusion. Again and again, discussions returned to the idea that media literacy’s primary mission is a human one. Before being technological, it is educational. Participants emphasised the need to place human needs at the centre of our work, particularly at a time when discussions are increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and technological developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation also touched on governance and regulation. Several groups highlighted the importance of greater alignment between local, regional, national, European, and international approaches if media literacy is to become a more established and sustainable policy priority. Mental health was another recurring topic, as was, unsurprisingly, AI!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building on these discussions about the future of media literacy support, I then presented the ongoing work of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO)<\/a> and what we are seeking to achieve through EDMO3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One point I wanted to emphasise is that EDMO is not attempting to create a single organisation that centrally delivers all media literacy activities. Rather, the ambition is to help build an ecosystem \u2014 a European support system \u2014 that enables greater exchange and implementation across countries, strengthens dissemination, supports coordinated responses to disinformation, improves large-scale monitoring, and helps scale effective initiatives across different contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To conclude the workshop, participants were invited to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities within several EDMO3 work areas, including research on vulnerabilities and susceptibilities, EU-wide media literacy communication campaigns, capacity-building and training activities, and the development of EDMO guidelines on effective media literacy initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussions generated a lot of ideas and constructive feedback. By the end of the session, I think many of us had a clearer understanding of both the work ahead and some of the new challenges we may need to address along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The day continued with the Opening Celebration and Awards Ceremony at St. Pius X Hall in the Vatican: the Marieli Rowe Award Ceremony, which showcased several inspiring projects. Congratulations to Mariana Ochs for her project The Stack \u2013 A Critical Literacy of Computational Infrastructure<\/a><\/em>, as well as to all the nominees whose work reflected the creativity and diversity of the field!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following morning opened with a keynote session featuring Monsignor Paul Tighe from the Dicastery for Culture and Education and Dr. Paolo Ruffini from the Dicastery for Communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussion explored the evolving role of the Catholic Church in engaging with contemporary digital media and communication technologies in an increasingly complex world shaped by artificial intelligence. As digital platforms transform how individuals access information, form communities, and understand truth, the speakers reflected on the need to rethink communication not simply as the dissemination of messages, but as a process of dialogue, ethical responsibility, and authentic human connection. The session offered an interesting perspective on how institutions can engage in digital spaces while upholding human dignity and promoting the common good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early afternoon, Antonio Lopez (John Cabot University, Italy) and Paul Mihailidis (Emerson College, USA) presented their report Emergent Models in Media Literacy: Shifting Mindsets<\/em>, which explored how media literacy continues to evolve in response to contemporary social and technological challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the symposium was dedicated to presentation sessions. The scope of topics covered reflected both the diversity and dynamism of the media literacy field. Presentations ranged from co-creating educational resources and strengthening resilience against manipulative historical narratives to arts-based media literacies, AI literacy, family approaches to media literacy, and the use of memes as tools for empowerment and engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The day concluded with an author presentation by David Buckingham on his latest book, The End of Information<\/em>, which led to lively discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final day continued at the same pace, with sessions exploring game-based media literacy, mechanisms for reporting harmful content, the role of librarians in media literacy ecosystems, and ecomedia literacy, among many other topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The symposium concluded with a final networking session, providing an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, exchange final reflections, and say goodbye before heading home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed to the 6th International Media Literacy Research Symposium: Belinha De Abreu<\/strong>, Founder of the International Media Literacy Research Symposium; Antonio Lopez<\/strong> and the Department of Communication and Media Studies at John Cabot University for hosting the event; The Vatican; and all speakers, presenters, and participants who contributed their expertise, research, and perspectives throughout the symposium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a very good first IMLRS experience. The discussions throughout the symposium highlighted not only the diversity of approaches within the field but also a growing consensus around many of the challenges ahead: how to scale media literacy effectively, how to keep it human-centred in an increasingly technological environment, and how to strengthen collaboration across sectors, countries, and disciplines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See you in 2028 in Dingle, Ireland. #IMRLS26<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Chlo\u00e9 P\u00e9t\u00e9, Media & Learning Association. This year marked my first attendance at the International Media Literacy Research Symposium (IMLRS), and what a location: Rome! Having attended many conferences over the years, I am very used to predominantly European audiences. One of the things I appreciated most about IMLRS was its genuinely international nature. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":47114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,275,276,272],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-articles","category-higher-education","category-lifelong-learning","category-media-literacy"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/files\/2026\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-06-04-at-11.54.48.jpeg","author_info":{"display_name":"Chlo\u00eb P\u00e9t\u00e9","author_link":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/author\/chloe-pete\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47113"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47140,"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47113\/revisions\/47140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media-and-learning.eu\/api-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}