Published: 05.12.2025
Researchers from LIACOM and the UNESCO Chair at ESCS took part in the Congress held at the University of Coimbra, presenting projects on media literacy, human rights, and communication.
On November 27 and 28, the Faculty of Arts of the University of Coimbra hosted the 7th Literacy, Media and Citizenship Congress, dedicated to the theme Behaviors, Narratives and Human Rights. The event was organized by GILM (Informal Group on Media Literacy) and was supported by the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media Literacy and Citizenship of the School of Communication and Media Studies (ESCS-IPL).
The event brought together national and international experts, with special emphasis on the active participation of the research team from LIACOM, ESCS and the UNESCO Chair. On the first day, the results of the Citizenship Week initiative "Do I Really Know?", dedicated to media literacy and democracy, were presented by Fernanda Bonacho, Margarida Alpuim, Fátima Lopes Cardoso, Joana Pontes, Maria Duarte Belo, Maria João Centeno, Maria José Mata and Nélia Cruz.
Also on the 27th, the presentation Media literacy in news desert contexts was delivered by Maria Maia, a master’s student in Journalism at ESCS, together with Fernanda Bonacho and Joana Pontes.
On the second day, Margarida Alpuim, project assistant at the UNESCO Chair, contributed with the presentation Clues from psychology for more human communication, included in the 2nd panel of free communications.
Near the end of the Congress, Fernanda Bonacho, holder of the UNESCO Chair and coordinator of the Master’s in Journalism at ESCS, moderated the plenary session Media, Journalism and Human Rights, which brought together guests from national and international organizations, as well as Portuguese journalists.
In the cultural initiatives, Fátima Lopes Cardoso, a researcher at LIACOM and coordinator of the Bachelor’s in Journalism at ESCS, took part in the commentary on the film Minamata, screened at the Teatro Académico Gil Vicente for around 600 students, in a session organized by the National Film Plan (PNC).
The 7th Congress once again highlighted the importance of the research carried out by ESCS, through LIACOM and the UNESCO Chair, reinforcing its contribution to reflection on media literacy, citizenship, and human rights.
For more information, please visit the website of the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media Literacy and Citizenship.
Text authored by the UNESCO Chair in Communication, Media Literacy and Citizenship and edited by the Communication Service (Gabcom).
Photographs kindly provided by João José Bica, SGPCM, and Sofia Martins, TAGV.
Cover photo of the article kindly provided by João José Bica, SGPCM.
