Media literacy is very much in the ascendant in European regulatory and policy-making circles at
the moment. For instance, the European Commission is due to formally report – for the first time –
on media literacy levels in all European Union (EU) member states by the end of 2011. The report,
provided for by Article 33 of the EU’s Audiovisual Media Services Directive, is being awaited with
much anticipation.
The title of this article poses the central question it will address: in light of relevant recent
regulatory and policy developments, can it now be argued that media literacy has lost its shrinkingviolet
status in the regulatory framework governing the European audiovisual media sector?
The article will commence with a brief exploration of selected theories surrounding media literacy.
More precisely, it will canvas the main rationales for promoting media literacy, definitional issues,
and the groups centrally implicated in media literacy initiatives – both as target groups and as other
stakeholders. The article will then identify, contextualise and scrutinise the key reference points
for the promotion of media literacy in the European audiovisual regulatory and policy frameworks.
Both the EU and the Council of Europe have adopted a number of (legally-binding and policy)
instruments that aim to improve media literacy levels across Europe. Finally, the article will consider
the prospects for the future development of media literacy within European regulatory structures.