Media literacy is vital to ensuring that media coverage of elections is effective in informing an electorate, and that the media is itself held accountable. The Center for Media Literacy defines the term as follows:

Media Literacy is a 21st century approach to education. It provides a framework to access, analyze, evaluate, create and participate with messages in a variety of forms — from print to video to the Internet. Media literacy builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well as essential skills of inquiry and self-expression necessary for citizens of a democracy.[i]

Media literacy development goes beyond simply increasing the knowledge and skillsets of media consumers, however. It also includes targeting information holders, such as government officials, and, more specifically to elections: EMB officials, candidates, and political parties, in order to improve their understanding of and relationship with media. These bodies and individuals are often prone to withholding information out of suspicion toward the media’s intentions, or fear of negative repercussions. However, this fear or suspicion is often a result of a lack of training and experience in dealing with media.  Understanding that “[m]edia literacy is an alternative to censoring, boycotting or blaming “the media”,”[ii] is instrumental to fostering democratic processes and practices. The chapter EMB Media Relations within this topic area provides more information on how EMBs can more fully appreciate the values and resources of a free and media-friendly environment. It also provides tools on how to use these resources.

The sustainability of free and independent media is reliant on media literate audiences and information providers. Media literacy includes understanding on how to use the quickly changing media landscape.  This is particularly relevant in today’s age of social media, and ever developing media technology. Media literacy also involves recognition of the use of, and power of, subtext. Subtext is the context or background of the primary message and may include images, background audio, and framing, each of which conveys specific messages, associations, and insinuations. In short, media literacy is about developing critical thinking skills and overall awareness. This in turn fosters pluralistic media as well as media who are challenged to improve upon professionalism. Media literacy gives rise to a population who understand the media landscape as a whole, including the impacts of legal frameworks and the importance of media safety.

The following provides just some of skills inherent to media literacy:[iii]

• Understanding what media is available for access, and how to access it;
• Understanding how to operate media and pass on information;
• The ability to identify the creator, as well as intentions, of media messages;
• Recognition of commercial interests behind messaging;
• Recognising the impact of media monopolies on media impartiality;
• Understanding the inescapable influence of values and views of the media makers;
• Understanding “tools of persuasion”;
• Recognising the role of culture in media messaging development;
• Recognising the impact on culture by media message;
• Recognising the difference between text and subtext;
• Understanding how media affects our thoughts and attitudes;
• Recognising that there is always a larger story or picture to what is being presented;
• Recognising bias, misinformation, or inaccuracies;
• Recognising “filters” that we use when interpreting media messages, such as our own experiences or educations;
• Developing skills to create ones own messages;
• Understanding the power and role that citizen journalism plays in today’s media landscape as an additional category of information providers. This role is especially in the contexts of limited (or entirely absent) freedom for traditional media;
• Recognizing the different impacts of time-based media (such as movies) as opposed to static media (such as photos);
• Understanding how audience memory works – what they will remember immediately after consuming a message and what they remember months later;
• Understanding how emotion plays into message interpretation and memory;
• Recognising how messages can be manipulated to enhance emotional responses (including the use of frames, angles, and lighting);
• Understanding the impact of legal frameworks on media messaging;
• Knowledge of the tenants of media professionalism such as balanced reporting, right of reply, and protection of source identities;
• Understanding the impact of self-censorship (the power of fear) on media messaging;
• Understanding how to advocate for positive change in the media system.

It is clear that much of the above critical thinking is vital to voters making informed opinions. In addition, media literacy is important in conflict and post-conflict situations as a safeguard against hate-speech in otherwise volatile circumstances. An audience that is educated in the tenants of media professionalism is more likely to demand high quality media content. Media literacy is also important for new or transitioning democracies. In these circumstances legal frameworks are usually under development and will greatly impact the future state of independent and free media. Furthermore, citizens may experience a rather sudden explosion of news sources and media formats after decades or more of controlled and sparse media. The greater the media literacy, the more prepared audiences (and information providers) will be in deciphering messages and recognizing value and credibility.

However, while there have been considerable concerted development efforts across the world to enhance media professionalism and encourage media independence, the same cannot necessarily be said for efforts to increase media literacy.