Better Internet for Kids

This year, during May and June, Media Literacy Weeks took place for the seventh time and involved over 150 Czech schools in 84 cities, together counting more than 4,000 pupils and students. Activities included 67 debates at schools, 18 excursions to media houses, 17 demonstration lessons, project days at secondary vocational schools, and apprenticeships.

Within the Media Literacy Weeks, several educational resources were introduced on the One World in School’s video-on-demand (VOD) portal. Specifically, the new five key questions educational posters, the What we think the experts think (and how we're wrong) lesson and the Why and how TikTok ticks video. Secondary vocational schools and apprenticeships received a special offer to host a demonstration lesson or a full project day with a journalist visiting the school directly. 

Debates with journalists 

Teachers and their classes had the opportunity to participate in debates with professional journalists on campus. They discussed journalistic work, what it entails, what a journalist's day looks like, and what happens when someone refuses to be interviewed. At the same time, journalists talked about inter-editorial cooperation investigative work and even discussed some well-known media cases. Media titles such as the Czech Press Agency (Česká tisková kancelář), Deník, Deník N, Hlídací pes server, Reporter magazine, Respekt and Seznam Zprávy all took an active part in the activities. In many cases, senior staff from editorial offices, award-winning journalists, and even editors-in-chief directly participated. 

The campaign kicked off with a streamed debate on quality journalism in the age of artificial intelligence. The topic was discussed by moderator Michael Rozsypal with well-known Czech journalists as guests: Lenka Kabrhelová from Seznam Zpravy, Petr Koubský from Deník N, and Radka Matesová Marková from the Czech Press Agency. 

One World in Schools also organised a final Media Literacy Weeks training seminar for teachers. During the seminar, teachers could debate with Michal Bauer from CERGE-EI about research on the influence of media on public opinion and about the (dis)consensus of experts and with journalist Václav Moravec about his experience with the selection of experts commenting on professional topics and about false balancing in the media. 

Summary of all events 

Events across Media Literacy Weeks included: 

• 67 debates between pupils and journalists from participating newsrooms directly at schools. 
• 18 school excursions to five media houses. 
• 17 media literacy demonstration classes and project days at selected secondary vocational schools and apprenticeships. 
• An opening debate between journalists and pupils on quality journalism in the age of artificial intelligence, 23 May in Prague. 
• A final seminar for teachers is on 13 June in Prague. 
• Screening of documentaries and educational films on news, disinformation and propaganda. 
• Educational events in libraries.  

 How not to drown in the flood of information? 

The accompanying media campaign highlighted the need to assess the credibility of all media messages in everyday life. The campaign was visible not only in Prague but in 13 other towns throughout the Czech Republic. 

Attention was drawn to four elementary questions needed for critical thinking: what? who? how? and why? It is a process that can be used to critically analyse and assess any text, audio-visual or other message. Like other question-based methods, this methodology remains relevant regardless of the changing social environment, technological advances, and new media tools. 

Find out more about the work of the Czech Safer Internet Centre, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services – or find similar information for Safer Internet Centres throughout Europe.