Collaboration with the British Embassy launches national media literacy campaign INFO

The Ministry of Culture and Media, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, the Public Relations Service of the Government of Montenegro, and the British Embassy in Podgorica launches INFO, a nationwide media literacy campaign, to build citizen resilience to false and misleading information. The launch coincides with Global Media Literacy Week, a United Nations-led initiative promoting the importance of positive media behaviours in today's digital age.

Technological advancements have transformed the way we receive and share information, but with increased access to information comes a greater risk of misinformation, fake news, and manipulation. The INFO campaign aims to equip citizens with practical tools for critically examining the content they consume.

Minister of Culture and Media Tamara Vujović emphasised the importance of having adequate resources for identifying misinformation.

Given the continuous development of technology, it is essential to provide all citizens with the necessary resources to acquire the knowledge and skills required to identify misinformation in the online environment. In this context, the INFO checklist will be a crucial tool that will enable our citizens to critically evaluate the information they receive, thus contributing to strengthening media literacy and society's resilience to the challenges of modern communication, said Minister Vujović.

The campaign focuses on empowering citizens to take an active role in the fight against misinformation, which includes verifying sources, analyzing the tone of messages, and recognising potentially manipulated photos and videos.

Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation Anđela Jakšić Stojanović highlighted that digital literacy has become an essential skill in today's age.

Digital literacy has become as important as reading and writing in today's age. We're working to ensure these skills are being taught to students across the country, so they can navigate the online world safely and effectively, said Minister Jakšić Stojanović, emphasising that enhancing digital competencies is crucial for the future of every citizen.

This initiative is also supported by the British Ambassador to Montenegro, Dawn McKen, who expressed her satisfaction with the collaboration with the Government of Montenegro on this important initiative.

As our lives increasingly become digital, this will only grow in importance. We are proud to collaborate with the Government to enhance citizen resilience against misinformation and disinformation, said Ambassador McKen.

Prime Minister Milojko Spajić also voiced his support for the campaign, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about the reliability of information sources to protect citizens from misinformation and fake news.

We all consume information from many different places now. As technology is making it harder to know what to trust, it's important that we give our citizens the tools to distinguish between fact and falsehood, said the Prime Minister, emphasising that strengthening media literacy is a key step in combating misinformation.

The INFO campaign represents just the first step in the Government of Montenegro’s long-term strategy, which will continue to work on enhancing citizens' media literacy through further initiatives, ensuring that they are well-informed and protected from the negative impacts of misinformation.