“That’s why we’ve been pushing for more media education in recent years. It’s become a vital need and a threat.”France saw the need for expanded media and internet literacy before many countries. Outside France, internet literacy programs are also growing, but have largely been left to groups, such as the News Literacy Project in the United States, that are funded by foundations and companies like Facebook and Google. European Union officials this month called on countries in the bloc to expand education programs as part of a push against misinformation and election interference. France’s centralized strategy is “quite unique” and “absolutely noteworthy,” said Renee Hobbs, a professor at the University of Rhode Island who specializes in media literacy.

Source: New York Times December 13, 2018 10:00 UTC