Press Release: Making sense of today’s media content: Commission begins public media literacy consultation

As new information and communication technologies make it ever easier for anyone to publish, broadcast or communicate, so the ability to judge the true merit of media content and make conscious choices – or 'media literacy' – becomes ever more essential for active citizenship and democracy. To cultivate and improve media literacy in the digital age, the European Commission has opened an EU-wide survey of best practices, and will set out its findings and proposals in a Communication in 2007. The survey questionnaire seeks the public's views on media literacy in connection with digital technologies, and information about initiatives in commercial communications, film and the online world. The deadline for replies is 15 December 2006.