International Journal of Media and Information Literacy

17-33

Authors: Miral Sabri AlAshry

This study investigated online newspaper coverage of COVID-19 in Egypt and Jordan, with particular attention to the depth of coverage. The main objective of the study was to examine the content of news covering COVID-19 posted online concerning Egyptian and Jordanian newspapers, to know which countries were more interested and committed to covering health crises. A content analysis of 4202 news articles by four news media organizations: Al-Ahram, youm7, Al-Rai, and Addustour was done. The findings of the study indicated that the Al-Ahram, youm7 in wave one was in-depth coverage, as compared to Al-Rai and Addustour coverage. In addition, Al-Rai and Addustour used a negative panic tone in presenting COVID-19 pandemic-related stories, in contrast to the Al-Ahram, youm7. Finally, Al-Rai and Addustour focused on reporting stories and raising awareness in waves one and two more than Al-Ahram and youm7. Based on these findings: the following recommendations were made: the media should focus more on sensitising the public on the necessary steps to take in curbing the virus. They should refrain from over usage of a negative tone to panic the public in presenting the stories of the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries.

46-56

Authors: Yarileisy Barcelay Ramírez, Natalia S. Gegelova, Alexander A. Grabelnikov

This study is developed on the basis of a current scenario in which Russian-Cuban relationship continues to strengthen. In this context, the official digital media of both countries play an important role in shaping the image of both states in current geopolitical conditions. This research analyzes the reflection of Russian-Cuban relationship in the current stage, taking into account the content of the news on the website of the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina. For this, a sample of intentional type (N = 453) was systematically analyzed (from July to August 2020), corresponding to the news published from January to July 2020 by Prensa Latina on its website in which Russia is mentioned. The methodology used allowed and helped the analysis of thematic content and the analysis of semantic content on the texts of Prensa Latina, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques, which showed that in the media agenda of Prensa Latina, during 2020, a higher priority was given to political issues, related to Russia, than to economy issues and society issues. Also, it was observed that in the content of Prensa Latina presents the political, economic and social news on Russia, in a way to make and create a positive image about Russia as a strong state on the readers. Thus, the political discourse reflects the current diplomatic relationship between the two governments at a high level.

66-76

Authors: Selma L. Capinzaiki Ottonicar, Marta L. Pomim Valentim, France Bouthillier

In the international literature, business information literacy refers to information literacy in the business context. Most of the research in this field focuses on university libraries, thus there is a gap in the literature with respect to business information literacy in industry and competitive organizations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the state of the art about business information literacy, and it aims to identify how researchers have studied business information literacy in businesses. The method is a systematic literature review in international scientific databases. After the analysis of the systematic literature protocol, we included 26 papers that discuss business information literacy. These papers show that business information literacy research focuses on business management libraries and related fields. This paper concludes that libraries contribute to business management curricula, and students can develop critical thinking and lifelong learning. Similarly, members of business organizations can use business information literacy to develop critical thinking for decision-making and problem-solving.

88-99

Authors: Ludvík Eger, Dana Egerová, Lukasz Tomczyk, Miroslav Krystoň

Social media has been identified as an important vehicle in fostering social connections that maintain and expand existing relationships between organizations and their customers and stakeholders. This research was conducted on top public universities from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, with a focus on their communication activities on Facebook. First, quantitative data analysis was conducted using the data mining tool Netvizz. The research is unique as measurement using Netvizz is currently not possible due to technical limitations on the most popular social network. Data obtained from 24 Facebook profiles of selected universities were used. Second, the expert evaluation and content analysis were used to examine how the posts influence audience. The findings provide evidence on the use of Facebook by universities for communication with public and show differences among universities. The findings also support an integrated view of content marketing and highlight the importance of adjusting the content strategy to suit the utilitarian nature of higher education institutions and engage high-involvement target groups. The collected data also show that the most popular posts on SNS are not directly related to research conducted at individual universities. Paradoxically, communication strategies of universities through social networking sites are deprived of the most important element – the university mission, i.e. dissemination of research results.

111-118

Authors: Anna Khanina, Alexandr Zimovets, Tatiana Maksimenko

Media and information literacy in the modern world is a set of skills, abilities that allow users to analyze media messages broadcast through the media and the Internet, the ability to critically approach the received data and perceived information. The COVID-19 pandemic that swept the whole world in the spring of 2020 forced all the population of the planet to use the worldwide network and the media actively, because they became the main source of information and a means of communication. This fact was also used by "ill-wishers" who launched false information about the statistics of those infected with the new virus, about the means of fighting it and much more. It was information literacy and critical thinking that allowed the population not to succumb to fake news and not to lose their heads. As shown by the authors' survey, the time that the population spent on the Internet before the pandemic was less than the time that it began to spend on the Internet after the announcement of the total quarantine. This can be explained simply – people had no other means of communication. However, as it was revealed as a result of the survey, people after the lifting of the quarantine regime, especially between the ages of 20 and 25, do not want to spend so much time at electronic space. According to the authors, the reason for this fact was the increased media literacy of this category for the population. People have learned to filter information flows, think critically and be skeptical about news. Nevertheless, many have switched to a distant work format and do not want to return to the previous offline mode, and for them, it is also necessary to develop media communications and increase their information literacy.

129-145

Authors: Anastasia Levitskaya, Alexander Fedorov

Based on the analysis of scientific literature and specific media educational experience, this article concludes that the characteristics of the criteria for a high level of activity efficiency, contributing to the development of students' media competence in the process of analyzing media manipulative influences, are as follows: - motivational criterion of the teacher's activity (versatile motives of media education: emotional, epistemological, hedonistic, moral, aesthetic, etc.; striving to improve their knowledge and skills in the field of media education); - contact criterion of the teacher's activity (weekly classes from classrooms in the process of media educational activities, contributing to the development of students' media competence in the process of analyzing media manipulative influences); - information criterion of the teacher's activity (systematic awareness, extensive theoretical and pedagogical knowledge in the field of media and media education, typology and essence of media manipulations); - technological criterion of the teacher's activity (developed technological skills in the field of media and media educational activities, contributing to the development of students' media competence in the process of analyzing media manipulative influences); - evaluative criterion of the teacher's activity (comprehensive knowledge of the methods of assessing the knowledge and skills of students in the field of media education and analysis of media manipulative influences); - practical and operational criterion for the teacher's activity (high quality of practical media educational activity, contributing to the development of students' media competence in the process of analyzing media manipulative influences); - creative criterion for a teacher's activity (a pronounced level of creativity in media educational activities, contributing to the development of students' media competence in the process of analyzing media manipulative influences).

156-165

Authors: April R. Manabat

With the vast amount of information readily available online, not to mention the gaining popularity and use of social media platforms and the rampant proliferation of alternative facts and news fabrication that affects decision-making, it is indeed empirical for everyone to be media and information literate. More true in it sense, people living in areas with limited or no internet access at all should be more critical and analytical about every information they encounter as this may affect their perspectives on things and life in general. This paper documents how media and information literacy was promoted and introduced to selected Senior High School (SHS) students and teachers of Loyola College of Culion (LCC) in Isla Culion, Palawan, Philippines. The effectiveness of the seminar-workshops conducted among the participants was also determined as well as their working knowledge on MIL through some tests and group activities. This case study also revealed that the participants’ working knowledge has increased after being exposed to the lectures and activities. Furthermore, the participants highlighted how they found MIL valuable in critically evaluating sources of information and how to use social media responsibly. In addition, the participants found the seminar-workshop engaging and recommended to have more sessions like this in improved in the future.

176-181

Authors: Andrei Novikov

In June 2021, the International Journal of Media and Information Literacy celebrated its fifth anniversary and has come a long way from being a completely unknown publication in Europe and the world to becoming a prestigious journal indexed in Scopus (Q3) that publishes authors from dozens of countries around the world. This review article is devoted to the most significant areas of publication activity of this journal, its most characteristic trends and topics. The Journal's fifth anniversary is a good occasion to remember how it began and how it developed. Already in the first issues of the journal it became apparent that the leading researchers in the field of media education are interested in it. For example, American professor Art Silverblatt, author of several editions of Media Literacy, wrote that “Information Literacy applies critical thinking skills to the assessment of Information. Media Literacy is a critical thinking skill that is applied to the source of most of our information – the channels of mass communication” (Silverblatt, 2016: 55). We think that this provision can be called key to the general concept of the International Journal of Media and Information Literacy.

193-200

Authors: Volodymyr Sadivnychyi, Mykola S. Nazarov, Andrii E. Lebid, Natal'ya A. Shevchenko

This paper shares the findings from a study that assessed the level of a person’s information security during a pandemic and in the post-pandemic period. The base for the study was advertising and textual and visual content with theoretical-academic, practical-medical, cultural-educational, social, and social-political narratives containing information about COVID-19, an acute respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The authors analyzed materials from leading media outlets in Ukraine, Russia, the UK, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Italy and from the official website of the World Health Organization (WHO). For a better insight into the ongoing processes, the following key groups of threats to one’s information security wereidentified: another person, groups of people, collectives, masses, and social institutions; programming and technical means and information-telecommunications systems; structured channels for dissemination of mass information. The more tangible impacts on one’s information security within the specialized information space segment were investigated in the third group of threats, namely at the level of analysis of structured channels for dissemination of mass information. Based on their analysis of the latest information flows, the authors developed a special socio-communication model for ensuring a person’s security in times of epidemics and crises that covers principles of informing the public such as filling the information space with various conceptual markers; ensuring proper professional-information interpretation of various phenomena and processes; undertaking the innovative enhancement of the sphere of information production and diffusion; ensuring a universal individual nature. The authors suggest that the study of content in local, regional, statewide, and international media resources potentially can serve as a crucial knowledge base for comprehending all significant characteristics of informing the public in times of societal disruption. The authors’ exploration of information flowing across multiple media channels helped them gain a better understanding of the need for and utility ofverifying and fact-checking information to ensure the meeting of information needs and proper performance of relevant roles in society, with the following key characteristics of good information identified: value, relevance, objectivity, reliability, completeness, comprehensibility, and adequacy.

211-218

Authors: Olha A. Shvaher, Sergey I. Degtyarev, Lybov G. Polyakova

What makes the issue of financial literacy relevant to various social groups and the State as a whole today is the dynamic development of the market for financial services, the rapid and extensive digitalization of such services, and changes in the structure of the market caused by the emergence of new segments and new actors. A financially literate consumer will make well-informed, responsible decisions in relation to services provided by financial institutions. Financial literacy has a direct effect both on the wellbeing of a particular individual and on wellbeing across society and the State as a whole. It tends to take on particular significance at a time of certain crisis situations. The recent COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought into clear view both the significance of requirements for the establishment of effective forms of disclosure of information in the market for financial services and the need to expand the information instrumentarium intended to improve the financial literacy of the population. Many countries have in place comprehensive legislation on protecting the rights of financial consumers, as well as relevant case law. However, that alone does not resolve most of the quite specific objectives for enhancing financial literacy – and, consequently, does not protect the population from various risks and unjustified financial losses. The authors argue that it is the use of social media – as the more sought-after and mass way to spread information in today’s world – that will help expand the audience of recipients of financial education. The paper analyzes a set of factors that influence the process of boosting the role of social media channels inimproving the financial literacy of the population and examines a set of relevant resources and tools employed in various countries to build an infrastructure for financial education. The authors also discuss the need to devote attention to the arrangement of educational activities for financially isolated and undereducated strata of the population and, in this context, focus on the right choice of media channels and means of financial education to ensure equal access to financial products and services.

231-238

Authors: C. Syamili, R.V. Rekha

Twitter as a social tool is helpful to measure the sentiments of people, be it the death of any personality, a mass protest, epidemic or natural calamity. The current study observes how effective Twitter to assess the sentiments of people amidst the #metoo campaign. Twitter users were found to be very vigorous and highly responsive during #metoo campaign. There has been overwhelming participation of media and online websites as well as individuals on this movement. With the participation of diverse Twitter handles, #metoocampaign was conversed in 400 tweets during study period. Along with these hash tags #withu, #resist, #womenpower, #believewomen, #womensmarch, #womeninstem, #feminism, #imwithher also used. All these hash tags convey messages related to women empowerment and feminism. The major sentiment involved in the movement is related to sexuality. Rehab, abuse Justice and harassment are also the most common emotion shared in these tweets. There is not much tweets about Men and kids.