Scandinavian Review has given significant international attention to Finnish media education. The article, which covers a wide range of topics, discusses the recognition of disinformation as part of lifelong media literacy.
The author interviews Leo Pekkala, the Deputy Director of the National Audiovisual Institute. Mr Pekkala emphasis the importance of openness and critical thinking in developing media literacy skills.
“We want everyone to become media literate so that they can not only be thoughtful consumers of media but can also produce content themselves about their own lives and be active members of society”, he says.
Pekkala argues that media literacy strengthens democracy and increases citizens’ trust in open societies.
“The basic elements of media literacy are more or less the same as they were 50 years ago, when we taught people how to think critically about the things they read”, says Pekkala. “That’s the same objective as today—it’s just that the technology and how information is delivered have changed.”
Regarding the changing media landscape, Pekkala highlights young people’s relationship with Finnish-language media.
“Even if they are teens, they are reading news from Finnish sources, including content from the reputable Finnish broadcasting company”, explains Pekkala. “They may not go to their web pages, but they are reading their stories on TikTok.”
The full article in Scandinavian Review can be read here