The Charter for Media Literacy was drawn up by the Media Literacy Task Force, which was set up with the support of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in 2004 and is chaired by Heather Rabbatts, CBE (formerly Head of Education at Channel 4, and a member of the UK Film Council Board).

It comprises senior representatives of the BBC, the British Board of Film Classification, the British Film Institute, Channel Four, ITV, the Media Education Association, Skillset and the UK Film Council. DCMS, Ofcom, the Broadband Stakeholder Group and Andrea Millwood-Hargrave sit as observers.

The Charter sets out some definitions of media literacy and priorities for developing it in what had previously been a fragmented field . The text of the Charter has been widely consulted upon, both within the UK and Europe, and many individuals and agencies in education, media and related industries have now pledged their support (see below). The Charter is also being championed across Europe by a wider group and has signatories from 19 other countries.

On 10 November 2005, James Purnell MP (the Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism) received a briefing from a number of leading figures in education, the film, television and media industries, together with three of the Charter's many distinguished Patrons - Michael Grade, Anthony Minghella and Eric Bolton.

All expressed their support and enthusiasm for the Charter as a way of agreeing a way forward and as the basis for collaboration. Details of this event, and other related documents, are available to download at:

http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/information/downloads/?subject=20

The main purpose of the Charter is to raise the profile of media literacy as a highly significant portfolio of creative and critical skills, knowledge and understanding. These are essential to every citizen in the 21st century if they are to be fully literate and enjoy the widest range of content and the diverse range of opportunities to communicate and be creative in a digital world. The Task Force believes that the Charter will help champion the value of media literacy and encourage both public and private investment in its development.

Charter for Media Literacy

The media provide us with distinctive and vital means of expression; are a dominant and global source of information, stories and opinions; and form an important part of our cultural heritage.

If people are to participate fully and effectively in today's world, they now need to be literate in all forms of media.

We are committed to the aims and principles of this Charter and to advocating and developing a media literate UK.

1. We are committed to:

• Raising public understanding and awareness of media literacy, in relation to the media of communication, information and expression;
• Advocating the importance of media literacy in the development of educational, cultural, political, social and economic policy;
• Supporting the principle that every UK citizen of any age should have opportunities, in both formal and informal education, to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to increase their enjoyment, understanding and exploration of the media.

2. We believe media literate people should be able to:

• Use media technologies effectively to access, store, retrieve and share content to meet their individual and community needs and interests;
• Gain access to, and make informed choices about, a wide range of media forms and content from different cultural and institutional sources;
• Understand how and why media content is produced, and the technological, legal, economic and political contexts for this;
• Analyse critically the techniques, languages and conventions used by the media, and the messages they convey;
• Use media creatively to express and communicate ideas, information and opinions;
• Identify, and avoid or challenge, media content and services that may be unsolicited, offensive or harmful;
• Make effective use of media in the exercise of their democratic rights and civic responsibilities.

THE PATRONS OF THE CHARTER

Professor Eric Bolton CB
Professor Tim Brighouse
Lord Smith of Finsbury
Professor Sir Christopher Frayling
Michael Grade CBE
Bonnie Greer
Anna Home OBE
Clive Jones
Duncan Kenworthy OBE
Anthony Lilley
Anthony Minghella CBE
Baroness Morris of Yardley
Lord Puttnam
June Sarpong
Anthony Smith CBE
Stewart Till CBE

 

UK SIGNATORIES TO THE CHARTER

(As of September 2007):
01zero-one,Westminster Kingsway College
Acton High School & Centre for Media Arts Association for Media Education in Scotland
Association for Television On-demand
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British Broadcasting Corporation
British Board of Film Classification
Beal High Media Arts College
British Film Institute
British Video Association
Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union (BECTU)
Buena Vista International (UK)
Columbia TriStar Films UK
C2k: Classroom 2000
Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, Northern Ireland
Central School of Speech and Drama
Channel 4
Charles Edward Brooke School, London
Cinema Exhibitors Association
Cinemagic
Children’s Film Festival
Cinesite
Connections Communications Centre, London
Coombeshead College
Cottingham High School
D fie foe
Department of Culture Arts and Leisure, Northern Ireland
Dundee Contemporary Arts
Ealing Institute of Media
EM-Media
English and Media Centre
Entertainment Film Distributors
Feature Film Company
Gala Film Distributors
Film Distributors Association
Film Education
Film London
First Light Movies
Futurelab
Help the Aged
Icon Film Distribution
Ilfracombe College
In the Picture Magazine
ITV
Learning and Teaching Scotland
London College of Communication
The London Film School
Longsands Community College
Marden High School
Maverick TV
Media Education Association
Media Education, Wales
Metrodome Distribution
Mike Owen Media
Momentum Pictures
National Film and Television School
National Society for Education in Art and Design
Pathé Distribution
South Thames College
Twentieth Century Fox Film Co.
United International Pictures (UK)
Warner Bros. Distributors
MovIES
National Museum of Film and Photography
National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts
National Youth Agency
North West Vision
Northern Film and Media
Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission
Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television
Parkside Community College
O2
Queen Elizabeth's Girls' School, Barnet
Queens Film Theatre
Rainhill High School Media Arts College
Royal Television Society
Ryburn Valley High School
S4C
Scottish Screen
Screen East
Screen South
Screen South West
Screen West Midlands
Screen Yorkshire
Skillset
Somervale School, Bath
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
St. Catherine’s School
Stoke Newington Media Arts College
Teach First
The County High School, Leftwich
The Nerve Centre
The Rural Media Company
Thomas Adams School and Media Arts College
The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA)
Turner Broadcasting (CNN, Cartoon Network, TCM)
Turton High School
UK Film Council
UK Post
Victoria & Albert Museum
Voice of the Listener and Viewer
Weatherhead High School



In addition there are further institutional and individual signatories across Europe and beyond from the following 19 countries:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey.

For further details see
www.euromedialiteracy.eu/