UNESCO promotes media and information literacy to support media development in Uzbekistan

The UNESCO Tashkent Office within the framework of the project “Enhancing the Capacity of Uzbek Media to Serve the Public Interest – Phase II*”, funded generously by the UK Government, published a Handbook for journalists and journalism teachers “Media and Information Literacy in Journalism” in four languages (Uzbek, English, Russian and Karakalpak).

This Handbook aims at being an important and practical tool for journalists in fulfilling their professional activities and mainly in media information literacy (MIL).

The first three parts of the Handbook include theoretical material and are accompanied with exercises and case studies; the last part consists entirely of practical tools and exercises that aim to ensure that the material was understood. The Handbook deals with “fake news” and disinformation, provides a conceptual framework for media and information literacy, shows its importance, and explores principles and role of the MIL in journalism education. Also, the Handbook covers topics such as ethics on the Internet, human rights and work with sources, journalistic skills in collecting and processing information, ways to verify and provide reliable information, and the identification of fakes that may adversely affect the public.