Podgorica, (MINA) – Citizens must be aware of who, why and in what manner informs them about something, in order to avoid the trap of taking information for granted, says Marijana Camovic, the Chair of the Media Trade Union of Montenegro.
Asked about the level of media literacy in Montenegro, she told Mina that she did not have insight in it.
“But based on the contacts I have with various groups of people, I see only one side in the information and the statements they present, and that speaks a lot about the manner in which events are being perceived”, Camovic said.
According to her, people in Montenegro are prone not to analyse what they hear or read, not to read further then headlines, not to think about the context, and not to observe the news they hear in any critical way.
“In addition, the closer the information is to their beliefs, the higher possibility of them accepting it as truth, and that is the problem, and it indicates the lack of media literacy”, Camovic added.
Asked if media literacy was important for recognizing and countering fake news, Camovic said that the citizens must know who, why and in which manner informs them about something in order to avoid the trap of taking information for granted.
“I am against using the term “fake news”, since there are either news or lies, and therefore the term which is extremely popular lately I relate to propaganda and manipulation of public opinion, which can come from various sources”, Camovic explained.
Camovic believes that media literacy should be introduced as a school subject in all schools, but adds that a way should be found to reach the citizens who are exposed to myriad of information, and help them separate truth from lies.
According to her, media literacy is not a topic popular only in Montenegro.
“It is high on the European Commission’s agenda, and I hope that those activities will give good result”, Camovic added.
This article was published with the financial support of the US Embassy available within the project “Rereading – Rewriting. Improving media literacy in Montenegro”. The Mina agency assumes full responsibility for its contents, which do not necessarily reflect the position of the USA. The article can be used with mandatory citing of its source.
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