On 9 April, the Council of Europe held an informal meeting of the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, dedicated to the theme “Freedom of Expression and Democratic Resilience”, bringing together European experts to discuss the challenges of information and democracy.

The ESCS lecturer, Fernanda Bonacho, was one of the invited speakers. A researcher at LIACOM and holder of the UNESCO Chair Communication Media Literacy and Citizenship, she took part in the panel “Protecting journalism in a contested information environment”.

In her intervention, she highlighted the importance of media literacy in responding to disinformation and in defending democracy and human rights. She also argued that media literacy should be seen “not as an educational complement, but as a fundamental safeguard for democracy”.

The lecturer also underlined the need for integrated public policies in this area, based on scientific knowledge and implemented continuously throughout citizens’ lives. She further noted that disinformation is a transnational phenomenon and that democratic vulnerability is both cognitive and systemic.

Another point highlighted was the shared responsibility for media literacy among various actors, such as digital platforms, regulators, academia, the media and policymakers. It was also emphasised that this field is not limited to skills, but also involves the defence of freedom of expression and human rights.

The meeting also featured other contributions on the protection of journalists, information manipulation, the role of journalism in trust in institutions, and the impact of artificial intelligence on information. The session concluded with questions from the ambassadors of the member states in attendance. The event was organised by Moldova, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Text authored by the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media Literacy and Citizenship and edited by the ESCS Communication Service (SCom).
Photograph by the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media Literacy and Citizenship.