Tag Archives: medialiteracy

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 7)

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 7)

Interested to find out more about media literacy and its status in Croatian society? What are the policy documents and existing research that tackle this topic? If you are interested to find out more, then continue to read down below! We bring you a series of articles analyzing different documents and statistics on the national level! The analysis was created within the project “Media and information literacy for climate change and environmental topics” funded by Erasmus+ Programme. 

Welcome to Part 7 of our series “Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis”! In this last part of our analysis of media literacy in Croatia, we are presenting you the guidelines created within the project “Media education is important”, specifically dealing with the area of media literacy.  

 

Within the project ‘Media education is important’, implemented by GONG association, 7 other civil society associations, one public institution and two scientific-research institutions,  there were six sets of guidelines that were proposed as outcomes of the project for public policy development in the area of media literacy. 

 

The general aim of the project was strengthening capacities of civil society organisations for a more efficient dialogue with public administration, social partners as well as with academic and research institutions for shaping and implementing reforms around the topic of media literacy in the new age.

 

Guidelines were proposed for the following six areas: media literacy in elementary schools; media literacy in high schools; media literacy and civil education; media literacy in non-formal education; socio-emotional skills and media literacy; media literacy and media policy.

 

For the purpose of this analysis, we are going to mention guidelines for the area of media literacy and non-formal education.

 

In Croatia, it is mostly civil societies associations which implement non-formal learning projects and programs for children, youth and adults. Also, media literacy non-formal programs are mostly implemented by civil society organisations.

 

Based on the research done within the project ‘Media Literacy is important’ following guidelines were proposed: 

  • Create and establish the system of recognition and evaluation of non-formal learning programs in the area of media literacy
  • Ensure continuity of non-formal educational programs for media literacy to make them accessible to everyone regardless of age, sex, ethnic or class as well as health condition
  • Further develop and improve cooperation among civil society organisations and public sector around the topic of media literacy

 

WHAT CAN WE DO? 

If you are a youth worker, you can use these guidelines for advocacy purposes and to see how to improve your own practice. 

 

 

INTERESTED IN PREVIOUS ARTICLES?  

Part 1 dealing with Croatian laws can be found HERE. 

Part 2 dealing with ethical codes can be found HERE.  

Part 3 dealing with the National Youth Programme can be found HERE. 

Part 4 dealing with the formal educational curriculum can be found HERE. 

Part 5 dealing with already existing research results of media literacy can be found HERE.

Part 6 dealing with already existing research results of media literacy can be found HERE. 




This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 6)

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 6)

Interested to find out more about media literacy and its status in Croatian society? What are the policy documents and existing research that tackle this topic? If you are interested to find out more, then continue to read down below! We bring you a series of articles analyzing different documents and statistics on the national level! The analysis was created within the project “Media and information literacy for climate change and environmental topics” funded by Erasmus+ Programme. 

Welcome to Part 6 of our series “Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis”!

 

In this part of the series, we analyse the research conducted by The institution of the Ombudsman for Children, “How we fulfill children’s rights in Croatia: opinions and attitudes of children and youth in 2009 and 2023”.

 

This research was conducted as a part of the programme on prevention from addiction to the Internet and cyber bullying. The research that was conducted in 2009 showed that young people consider addiction to the Internet as one of the main problems of young people in Croatia. There were 516 children and young people who participated in this research in 2023 to compare the results with the findings in 2009. There were 263 children and 253 adolescents who took part in the research.

 

In 2009, about 45% of the respondents considered addiction to alcohol, smoking and drugs as one of the main problems of young people in Croatia. In 2023, only 25% of them said the same. Nowadays, they consider addiction to the Internet and social media, and cyber bullying as main problems of young people.

 

Therefore, the research recommends strengthening media literacy of children and youth with the purpose of prevention of addiction to the Internet and cyber bullying. As well as ensuring alternative activities which are interesting and available to young people to ensure quality free time.

 

The research also showed that around 45% of young people spend 3 to 5 hours a day using the Internet, mainly social media and different apps for communication, such as WhatsApp, Viber or Snapchat. A total of 99% of children use social media, and more than half of them access social media at least 10 times a day.

 

Compared to 2009, young people in 2023 watch TV rarely, and they are unhappy with the choice of the content and the format. They state that there are not enough programmes for youth, and almost half of them stated that the media depicts young people with too much prejudice and stereotypes.

 

Although the respondents claim that they do not want to watch violent content, research shows that they largely watch content which is not dedicated to them, including movies, series and reality shows through which they are actually exposed to violence in the media. That’s why the research reminds of the obligation of the media content providers to categorise their content to inform viewers about the potentially harmful content. It also reminds that it is the responsibility of the parents to protect their children from premature exposure to violence and inappropriate TV content. 

 

WHAT CAN WE DO? 

If you are a youth worker, you can use these research results to think about interventions with young people, but also use them on the advocacy level to change things within your policy context. 

 

INTERESTED IN PREVIOUS ARTICLES? 

Part 1 dealing with Croatian laws can be found HERE. 

Part 2 dealing with ethical codes can be found HERE.  

Part 3 dealing with the National Youth Programme can be found HERE. 

Part 4 dealing with the formal educational curriculum can be found HERE. 

Part 5 dealing with already existing research results of media literacy can be found HERE.




This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 5)

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 5)

Interested to find out more about media literacy and its status in Croatian society? What are the policy documents and existing research that tackle this topic? If you are interested to find out more, then continue to read down below! We bring you a series of articles analyzing different documents and statistics on the national level! The analysis was created within the project “Media and information literacy for climate change and environmental topics” funded by Erasmus+ Programme. 

Welcome to Part 5 of our series “Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis”!

 

In this part of the series, we are analysing already existing research on the topic of media literacy in Croatia. 

 

Research “Media literacy among Croatian Citizens” was done within the project “Media literacy is important” coordinated by GONG (Civil Society Association). Research was conducted by the Institute for development and international relationships in 2023.

 

This research aimed at investigating media literacy among Croatian citizens. There were almost 1000 citizens interviewed from different regions of the country, of different genders and different ages to reflect the demographics of the whole country. 

 

For the purpose of the research, media literacy was defined as knowledge, abilities and life skills to access, analyse, evaluate and create media content in various forms which are necessary for participation in society. 

It included three main areas: technical skills, content creation and critical thinking. 

  • Technical skills refer to the ability to use digital technologies to access information, navigate through the complex network of information, read and understand messages and participate in the digital information economy. 
  • Content creation assumes being active creators of new interpretations and meanings of digital information. 
  • Critical thinking refers to understanding the social construction of media content, language, the role of different audiences in understanding content, the idea and ideology policies as well as institutions in content creation, and the role of media in social topics.

 

The research showed that between December of 2021 and March 2022, the total of 91.5% citizens of Croatia used their mobile daily or every second day, 88.5% used television, 76.7% used the internet on their mobile phone, 67.2% used the radio, 55.8% used the internet on other devices. During the same period, 50.7% did not go to the cinema, not even once. Also 26.4% of citizens didn’t read printed newspapers and 24% did not read any books.

 

The research also showed that 69.3% of citizens between the ages of 18 and 29 watch television everyday or every other day, and 98.8% citizens older than 75. Younger people use the internet much more than the older population. More than 80% of the older population has never used the internet through their mobile phone, or on any other device. Their main reason was lack of skills. Most citizens, more than 97%, use their technical skills for sending and receiving electronic mail, reading online news and searching for information about products and services. Least frequent activities that citizens do is cooperation on common projects through Google drive and Dropbox, participation in discussions about civil and political topics and writing blogs.  

 

Comparison of different genders revealed that women spend more time creating and uploading their content than men, while men spend more time using the Internet for Internet banking services. Men also participate more in discussions on civil and political topics. 

When it comes to content creation, less than 10% of citizens published any news, a newspaper article or created some form of digital audio or visual content. Meen seem to be more active than women in this area.  On the other hand, more than 30% of citizens created some form of internet content such as blogs, comments on portals, social media or forums. Those citizens who create content on the Internet feel more confident to comment on the content on social media, forums and portals. They also know to estimate if a specific program or app is safe for download, and they know how to create new content from existing photos, music or videos. 

 

Many citizens (almost 70%) notice the differences in how information is shown in the media, and they ask their friends, family members and other people for opinions. They also try to compare information with other sources like books, encyclopaedia, other TV channels or newspapers, as well as checking them in search engines such as Google. 

 

The research findings show that the majority of citizens agree that two people can interpret one piece of news in different ways. Citizens believe that the media should report about gender equality (over 72%), national minorities (over 60%) and different sexual orientations (almost 50%). Citizens also estimate new portals according to their appearance, variety of content and whether they align with their values. Almost a third of citizens have trouble estimating if online news is true or fake. They are mostly concerned about the news they receive through Facebook, various news portals and YouTube.

 

Citizens rarely participate in different forms of social and political activities. Almost half stated that they participate in petitions, around 35% donating money, and around 20% boycott products due to political or ethical reasons. The most popular TV genres are quizzes, foreign criminalistic films and series. And least popular are cultural and scientific shows, reality shows and religious ceremonies.

 

The second research was “Media literacy among Croatian academic students” was also done within the project “Media literacy is important” coordinated by GONG (Civil Society Association). Research was conducted  by the Institute for development and international relationships in 2023.

 

For the purpose of this research, media literacy was also defined as knowledge, abilities and life skills to access, analyse, evaluate and create media content in various forms which are necessary for participation in society. And it also included three main areas: technical skills, content creation and critical thinking. 

 

Academic students from three Croatian faculties participated in this research. The results show that approximately half of the students use traditional media such as TV, radio, books, cinema or newspaper less than once a week or not at all. Big majority of them use their mobile phone every day or every other day, and almost everyone uses internet on their mobile phones daily for sending and receiving emails, searching for information about products and services, using online video streaming platforms, reading news, using internet banking, communicating with public institutions, buying products and services, communication via social media. The other least mentioned reasons for using the internet were writing blogs, participation in civil and political discussions, as well as creating and publishing own content. Although the majority of students claim that they are able to create new content from the existing photos, music and videos, a very small percentage of students actually created any content. They are mostly consuments of the content rather than creators.

 

In the domain of critical thinking, around 80% of students agree that the media owners influence the content, that they choose the content which will attract audience, that audience searches for news which will be aligned with their political beliefs, that two people can interpret the same news in different ways, that news have an impact on people whether they are aware of it or not, that news is made to attract attention, that production techniques can influence the perception of viewers. Students are generally concerned with the truthfulness of information on Facebook and Youtube, and most of them claim that they are able to estimate whether some news or information is true or not. Students have also reported low political participation. 


The most popular TV content among students are quizzes, foreign sit-coms, crime shows, Hollywood movies, as well as documentaries. The last popular content were national and international soap operas, religious and agricultural programmes.

 

Although it is impossible to verify the truthfulness of the information and answers provided by the students, they give insights into media literacy and behaviour among students. Although frequent use of the Internet surely contributes to their technical skills, it seems like it would be useful to improve their content creation skills as well as their skills of estimating the truthfulness of information received through digital media to be more active participants in society.

 

WHAT CAN WE DO? 

If you are a youth worker, you can use these research results to think about interventions with young people, but also use them on the advocacy level to change things within your policy context. 

 

 

INTERESTED IN PREVIOUS ARTICLES?  

Part 1 dealing with Croatian laws can be found HERE. 

Part 2 dealing with ethical codes can be found HERE.  

Part 3 dealing with the National Youth Programme can be found HERE. 

Part 4 dealing with the formal educational curriculum can be found HERE. 




This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 4)

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 4)

Interested to find out more about media literacy and its status in Croatian society? What are the policy documents and existing research that tackle this topic? If you are interested to find out more, then continue to read down below! We bring you a series of articles analyzing different documents and statistics on the national level! The analysis was created within the project “Media and information literacy for climate change and environmental topics” funded by Erasmus+ Programme. 

Welcome to Part 4 of our series “Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis”! 

 

The concept of Media Literacy education is covered in Croatia, in two national curriculums – Croatian language curriculum as well as in Civic education curriculum for primary and high school formal education. 

 

The Croatian language curriculum is organised in three mutually interconnected subject areas: Croatian language and communication, literature and literacy, culture and media. 

 

Subject area of Croatian language and communication aims at:

  • developing listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills which enable communication in Croatian standard language,
  • developing communication with others in different contexts, in media and in many different situations, 
  • learning communication strategies to understand and create texts based on prior knowledge,
  • developing the ability to read with understanding, analyse and interpret texts,
  • developing the competence to write texts of different styles
  • Developing awareness of themselves as individuals which creates, respects and expresses their own linguistic identity, and simultaneously respects the identity of others within a specific linguistic and cultural community.

 

Subject area of culture and media is based on understanding of text in different social, cultural and intercultural contexts. This area encourages the development of self awareness as well as awareness of others, considering different beliefs and values, and active engagement in the community. 

 

Subject area of culture and media aims at: 

  • developing critical relationship towards media messages, understanding the influence of media and their messages on society and individuals, as well as creating media messages and sending them in a responsible way;
  • encouraging consciousness about uniqueness and value of different opinions, attitudes and ideas, societies and cultures to achieve more successful communication and understanding other and different ones



The subject area Use of information and communication technology comprises efficient, appropriate, timely, responsible and creative use of information and communication technologies in all subjects and levels of education which is close to children and youth, and easily accepted. It is considered as support which enriches and enables different learning experiences for independent, conscious, creative and responsible learning and achieving educational learning goals. Using the technology independently, or with the use of a teacher or a parent, children and youth decide where, how and when they learn, which contributes to the sense of responsibility, perceiving their own integrity and digital identity. 

 

Aims of teaching this topic in schools, allows opportunities to children, youth and teachers to: 

  • apply information and communication technologies for educational, working and private needs
  • use information and communication technologies in a responsible, moral and safe way
  • communicate and collaborate efficiently in digital environment
  • evaluate technology critically, choose it and use it appropriately
  • manage information in digital environment
  • create and edit new content, and express themselves creatively with the use of digital media

 

This subject area is therefore divided into four sub areas which overlap and build upon each other: 

  1. Functional and responsible use of information communication technologies
  2. Communication and cooperation in digital environment
  3. Research and critical evaluation in digital environment
  4. Creating and innovation in digital environments


Expected learning outcomes in each of the four areas include the following: 

 

  1. In the domain of Functional and responsible use of information communication technologies, students:
  • develop knowledge, skills and attitudes about the possibilities of information communication technologies as well as positive attitude towards technology as a tool for support in learning and creating
  • develop skills to choose appropriate devices and programmes for achieving wanted results
  • use digital content, social media, digital clouds, and digital knowledge resources in a responsible and safe way for further personal, educational and professional development 
  • learn about basic principles of keeping their physical and mental health while using technology
  • learn about safe and responsible use of technology in virtual world, as well as appropriate behaviour, timely reaction, and differentiate between acceptable and not acceptable behaviour
  • participate actively and consciously in prevention of digital violence and hate speech, and they know whom to turn to if they are worried about inappropriate content and behaviour in digital environment
  • understand the importance of digital identity and the influence of digital trance, they protect their identity and personal data as well as protect ownership and privacy of others

 

  1. In the domain of Communication and cooperation in digital environment, students: 
  • learn to use digital programmes for support different learning styles
  • learn right and appropriate use and navigating through social media as well as in online learning environments, ethical behaviour, respecting human rights and responsible cooperation
  • learn to use programmes and devices for cooperation and communication independently and safely taking into account the use of the standard language, articulate expression and understanding different communication situations
  • discuss with arguments, collaborate and accept changes

 

  1. In the domain of Research and critical evaluation in digital environment, students:
  • learn to develop their information and media literacy in digital environments and develop critical thinking and problem solution skills
  • learn knowledge, skills and attitudes which empower their integrity
  • learn which information to search for, how and where to find them
  • know how to evaluate critically their sources of information and then use them to solve a problem
  • process information and include them in their knowledge and value system

 

  1. In the domain of Creating and innovation in digital environments, students:
  • Develop their creative spirit and innovative action
  • Express their creativity and imagination in a free and open way while working with information and communication technologies
  • Experiment with different programmes in their creation process
  • Learn methods to develop own and group creativity which enables easier creation process of content in digital environments
  • Develop their divergent and lateral thinking skills and find new ways to solve different tasks
  • Discuss, reshape, analyse and evaluate their ideas and create content to fulfil their potential
  • Develop and apply ideas and use them in new or existing situations
  • Present, share and publish their work which contributes to navigating through further education, work, challenges and possibilities that come with new technologies 

 

WHAT CAN WE DO? 

If you are a parent, check with the Parents’ council if these topics mentioned above have been covered within the Curriculum to the satisfactory level. Check with your children (young people) did they cover these topics in their formal education. 

If you are a youth worker, these topics can be useful to create interventions with young people, so they can be a good starting point for conversations or workshops on information and understanding the media. The outcomes of the Curriculum can guide your efforts in this field. Also, you can connect with schools in your local area to implement workshops with pupils on these topics.

 

 

INTERESTED IN PREVIOUS ARTICLES?  

Part 1 dealing with Croatian laws can be found HERE. 

Part 2 dealing with ethical codes can be found HERE.  

Part 3 dealing with the National Youth Programme can be found HERE. 




This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 3)

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 3)

Interested to find out more about media literacy and its status in Croatian society? What are the policy documents and existing research that tackle this topic? If you are interested to find out more, then continue to read down below! We bring you a series of articles analyzing different documents and statistics on the national level! The analysis was created within the project “Media and information literacy for climate change and environmental topics” funded by Erasmus+ Programme. 

Welcome to our Part 3! You can read Part 1 dealing with Croatian laws HERE or Part 2 dealing with ethical codes HERE.  

 

The third document we analyse is the National Youth Programme which is being implemented between 2023 and 2025. It is a short-term strategic document which directs youth policy in Croatia. It consists of six priority areas with 28 measures including: youth work, social youth participation, youth education, youth and European Union, youth in rural areas and health and crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

The vision of the National Youth Programme is as follows: Young people in Croatia are empowered for dealing with the challenges of contemporary society, for active and responsible participation in its development as well as developing their own potential for self-realisation and participation in social activities.

 

Guided by the vision for youth, all key stakeholders in society will act with a purpose to ensure a safe environment to implement quality youth work which involves young people into activities which strengthen their ability to create a change in society and social participation.

 

The Programme promotes the development of media literacy among children and youth to prepare them for responsible participation in media and digital environments, and to make them aware of all the dangers and risks of engaging in those environments. 

 

Based on all the research data that was collected on this topic among children and youth in Croatia over the recent years, the Programme points out that it is necessary to approach media literacy education in a holistic and cross-sectoral way. There is a need for systemic and coordinated empowerment of youth to develop their media literacy skills, as well as empowerment of teachers and educational staff who will implement media literacy in schools and faculties.  

 

As a result of the National Youth Programme, there was a substantial amount of the national budget that was dedicated to fund programmes of empowering media literacy among youth which will be implemented in the period between 2023 and 2025. Media literacy is an important competence to develop in contemporary society which aims at better understanding of new technologies and new information we are faced with on a daily basis, especially when it comes to combating fake news which creates a great impact on young people who are the most active users of social media and digital platforms. 

 

WHAT CAN WE DO? 

If you are a youth worker, follow the implementation of the measures of the National Programme for Youth, especially the ones dealing with media literacy. Connect with other youth workers to see how to support the better implementation of the document. Also, educate young people that there is a key strategic document that is shaping their lives and motivate them to be vocal about the importance of creating this document in a participatory and meaningful way. 




This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 2)

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 2)

Interested to find out more about media literacy and its status in Croatian society? What are the policy documents and existing research that tackle this topic? If you are interested to find out more, then continue to read down below! We bring you a series of articles analyzing different documents and statistics on the national level! The analysis was created within the project “Media and information literacy for climate change and environmental topics” funded by Erasmus+ Programme. 

Welcome to our Part 2! if you are interested to read Part 1, click HERE. 

 

Second set of documents we analyse are the Code of Honour of Croatian Journalists, and the Croatian Code of Advertisement.

 

CODE OF HONOUR OF CROATIAN JOURNALISTS

The Code of Honour of Croatian journalists states that all journalists are obliged to defend human rights, dignity, freedom and values, consider pluralism of ideas and beliefs, resist any shapes of censorship, contribute to strengthening of the legal state and participate in democratic control of power and governing. Any journalist should respect the Constitution and Acts of the Republic of Croatia, culture and the ethics of the public word.

 

Journalists should not enter into any activities which could damage their independence, objectivity and independence of judgement or dignity. They should avoid conflict of interest, and should not accept gifts, services, awards, travels, political activities or other benefits which might question their credibility. They should not acquire any personal material benefits.

 

CROATIAN CODE OF ADVERTISEMENT

Croatian code of advertisement is the minimum standard of ethics which is required in advertising practices in Croatia, for all individuals and organisations. It is an addition to the already existing legal documents of the Republic of Croatia which regulate advertising activities.It is intertwining with the National Act. 

 

Come of the general provisions of the Code include the following: 

  • Advertising should not contain any messages that offend public in any way
  • Advertising should not abuse the trust of consumers or use their lack of experience and knowledge
  • Descriptions, claims and comparisons promoted in advertising should be proven
  • Comparison is allowed only when there is a justified cause, and if that comparison does not trick the consumers
  • Advertising should be shaped in an aesthetic way of cultural environment, and they should not irritate the users with aggression, and inappropriate scenes or expressions
  • Message should be shaped in a clear way so it is immediately clear its meaning
  • Messages should not include people who did not allow to be filmed or photographed
  • Messages should not encourage dangerous acts and neglect safety, especially those aimed at children and youth
  • Messages should not contain plagiarism of illustrations, videos, photos, slogans, packaging or labels or unjustified use of other’s ideas in creating advertisements

 

Apart from the general content, the Code also dedicated one whole article to children and youth (Article 14), and it considers the following:

  • Special attention needs to be given to creating and spreading messages aimed at minors or those where minors are represented as actors or models
  • Advertising messages should not misuse the naivety of children or lack of life experience
  • There should not be any direct calls for shopping in advertising messages, unless those are products interesting to buyers
  • Messages should not influence children directly so that they push the purchase on their parents or guardians
  • Messages should not create a feeling of inferiority of children who buy a specific product in relationship to those who don’t
  • Messages should not show children alone, without protection on a high-traffic road if they are not old enough to take care of their safety; also should not show children playing on open road, crossing the road without paying attention to the traffic; they should be shown crossing the road across the pedestrian crossing.
  • Children should not be shown doing dangerous things or using any tools or devices which might cause them harm
  • Children should not be shown driving any vehicles

 

WHAT CAN WE DO? 

The above mentioned Codes help professionals navigate the complex media landscape. However, even though journalists and advertisers are trying to comply with these standards, sometimes it can happen that they do the opposite. Therefore, if you are a parent, we suggest talking with your children about these topics. If you are a youth worker or a teacher in school, in your regular work include the topics dealing with the Code of Conduct and Advertising, so young people can learn more about these important documents. In this way, we are creating future citizens that are understanding what are the ethical obligations of different actors in the media field. 




This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 1)

Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis (part 1)

Interested to find out more about media literacy and its status in Croatian society? What are the policy documents and existing research that tackle this topic? If you are interested to find out more, then continue to read down below! We bring you a series of articles analyzing different documents and statistics on the national level! Let’s dive in in our Part 1 of our series “Media literacy in Croatia: short analysis”. 

The concept of Media literacy is defined and discussed on many different levels of society in Croatia. For the purpose of the research which is conducted within the project “Media and information literacy for climate change and environmental topics”, we analyse seven main categories of documents which in some way touch upon the concept of Media literacy and its implementation in society on various levels through various means.

 

First set of documents we analyse is the set of documents dealing with the media and its regulations. On a national level in general sense media literacy is covered through the Media Act, Electronic Media Act, and Croatian National Television and Radio Act.

 

THE MEDIA ACT

The Media Act defines the prerequisites for fulfilling the principles of media freedom, rights of journalists and other stakeholders in the process of informing the public. It also defines the freedom to report and availability of public data, etc. Media includes newspapers and other printed media, television and radio programmes, electronic publications and other ways of publishing content via text, voice, sound or image.

 

The media act ensures the freedom of expression and freedom of media. Freedom of media more specifically includes: freedom of expression, independence, the freedom of collecting, researching, publishing and distributing information with the goal of informing the public. It also ensures pluralism and diversity of media, free flow of information, media open for different opinions, beliefs and various content; taking under consideration protection of human identity and dignity.

 

According to the Media Act, it is allowed to limit the media freedom when and if it is necessary in democratic society due to the national safety interests, territorial wholeness, public order and peace, preventing unrest, protection of health and morals, protection of reputation and rights of others, protection of revealing confidential information, etc. It is forbidden to transmit media content which encourages any kind of racial, religious, gender, sexual, ideological or political discrimination. 

 

The Media Act states that the Republic of Croatia promotes pluralism and media diversity, and encourages production and publishing of content which refer to the following: gaining rights to public information and being informed of all citizens (residents and minorities) inside and outside of the borders of the Republic of Croatia; promoting tolerance and dialogue among minorities; promoting awareness about the equality between men and women as well as promoting human rights; preservation of the Croatian national and cultural identity; encouraging cultural and artistic expression; the development of education, science and art; conservation of nature, environment and human health; creating or adapting content to the special needs individuals; founding new local media, especially non-profit and civil association media.

 

The Media Act states that all the media is required to respect privacy, dignity, reputation and honour of the citizens, especially of children and youth, regardless of their sexual or gender identity. 

 

THE ELECTRONIC MEDIA ACT

Electronic Media Act defines rights, obligations and responsibilities of people and companies which offer audio and audiovisual media services, electronic publications via electro communication networks, platforms for video exchange, and the interest of the Republic of Croatia within the electronic media. 

 

The Electronic Media Act forbids publication, encouragement and spreading hate or discrimination based on racial, ethnic, gender, sex, language, religion, political preferences, nationality, social status, financial status, education, social position, marital status, age, health condition, disability, genetic heritage, gender identity or sexual orientation, as well as antisemitism, xenophobia, and fascism, nazi, communist and ideas of other totalitarian regimes.

 

It also stipulates that audio visual commercials promoting alcoholic beverages should not be directed towards minors, and show children and youth consuming alcohol. 

 

Audio-visual commercials should not inflict physical, psychological or moral damage to youth. Furthermore,  it is not allowed to show audio-visual and radio content which insults human dignity, amoral and pornographic content, as well as content which promotes and encourages violence and criminal, consumption of smoking products, alcohol, drugs and other addictive substances to children and youth.

 

The law also stipulates that all audio-visual and radio programmes which might damage physical, mental or moral development of minors are not allowed to be aired, unless the provider of the media service ensures tools to check the age of a person so that it is not possible for minors to hear or watch them.

 

Telemarketing aimed at minors should not damage their interests, their morals or physical damage. It is also not allowed to show men or women in an offensive way based on their gender or sexual orientation. 

 

CROATIAN NATIONAL RADIO AND TELEVISION ACT

The main activity of the Croatian national radio and television is production of radio, audiovisual and multimedia programmes, music programme, offering audio and media services, offering multimedia services and electronic publications.

 

The Act stipulates that all of the programmes aired through national radio and television channels need to meet the interests of public on national, regional and local level, as well as to meet the requirements to represent informative, artistic, cultural, educational, children’s entertainment, sport and other content adequately.

 

Furthermore, this Act stipulated that Croatian National Radio and Television should produce and publish programmes aimed at education and upbringing of children, youth and adults. It should also adapt, produce and publish programmes for children, youth and adults with disabilities, and encourage translation to Croatian sign language.

 

It should also produce, co-produce and publish programmes aimed at children of different ages, from preschool to adolescent ages, adapted to their needs and aimed at promotion of their well-being. Those include animated, documentary and similar audiovisual content.

 

Croatian National Radio and Television should also respect privacy, dignity and honour of a human being and basic human rights, especially those of children and youth, as well as elderly.

 

However, even though Croatian National Radio and Television should produce programme for young people, it is questionable how much this function is implemented, especially in the TV programming part. The content produced is mostly aimed at children – and youth programming has been decreased. National Radio station has some good examples of youth programming, which include shows like “Trending” (hr. “U trendingu”), which is the show produced and hosted by young people, where they tackle important societal issues for their lives. This occasion of youth participation in the national, public media is a wonderful example how it can be done, however it’s still rare and should be increased. 

 

WHAT CAN WE DO? 

There are several ways to help in shaping the future laws. Maybe you saw something that is missing or that should be improved. Firstly, the most obvious solution is to participate in the process of e-participation of citizens (e-Građani), where you can give suggestions to change some of the provisions, or even make them more prominent. Also, you can just start the talk about the importance of media literacy among your friends, family and peers. Furthermore, you can connect with different NGO’s dealing with these topics and cooperate with them to change the status quo. Good luck! 




This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

JOIN US AND FILL IN THE SURVEY ON MEDIA LITERACY!

JOIN US AND FILL IN THE SURVEY ON MEDIA LITERACY!

We have opened the survey for young people aged 15 to 30 within our project “Media and Information Literacy for Climate Change and environmental topics”!

We are happy to announce that we have kicked off with the implementation of the research in the project “Media and Information Literacy for Climate Change and environmental topics” in three countries: Croatia, Estonia and Portugal.
 
This research aims to explore the relationships between youth and the media, with a special focus on green topics. The questionnaire contains questions about the youth’s perception of media, their usage of media, the technology used for media consumption, and the presence of green topics in the media. The questionnaire is anonymous, and it takes 10 minutes to complete it. We are looking for people aged 15 to 30 to fill in the survey.
 
And we need your help! Please help us fill in the survey and tell us your opinion about media literacy and green topics in your country!
 
Each country has its link to access the research and you can do it by clicking on the links below:
 
Thanks for your help and we are looking forward to seeing the results!
 

This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

 

CONTENT MEETING “MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT” IN TALLINN 

CONTENT MEETING “MEDIA AND INFORMATION LITERACY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT” IN TALLINN 

From 8 to 13 December 2023 we have held a content meeting within our project “Media and Information Literacy for climate change and environment”. During the four days, we have talked in details about outputs and content of the activities. The main focus was the research which will be implemented in three participating countries: Croatia, Estonia and Portugal in January and February 2024. 

 

During the meeting, partners discussed methodology and questions asked, gave feedback to created questionnaire and had the time to develop it more further. Besides that, we have talked about the quality implementation of the desk research (analysis of policy documents) and what is the best approach to share examples of good practice. Following this important discussion, we have dived into the development of draft content for the toolkit for Youth Workers and Educators “Media and Information Literacy of Youth in Green Topics”. We discussed the topics which should be covered within the output of e-learning course for young people. The meting was also a good chance to also discuss the content of the local training courses for educators and trainers, but also to discuss the content of the local conferences, which will all happen at the same time and have hybrid component. 

 

Besides sharing and planning the content of the activities, this meeting was a chance for partners to get to know each other better and discuss what is the best way to implement the activities in the quality way. 

 

The project “Media and Information Literacy for Climate Change and Environmental Topics” gathered several experienced organisations from different fields in a Consortium, with the aim of raising capacities and providing practical tools for youth workers and youth, starting with research showing the real-time situation in three involved countries: Croatia, Estonia, and Portugal. The consortium of lead partners and associated partners is formed with different organisations coming from non-profit and profit organisations, youth centres, university and media centres. 

 

If you want to see a glimpse of atmosphere from the Content meeting or you are interested to find out more about the project – be sure to watch the video here: https://fb.watch/oX-9aSemse/

 

Also, don’t forget to follow the developments on our social media here: https://www.facebook.com/DOMAShr/.

 

This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.