Cyprus

[CY] Media Literacy Seminars conducted by the Cyprus Radio Television Authority

IRIS 2025-7:1/7

Antigoni Themistokleous

Cyprus Radiotelevision Authority

Pursuant to article 30C of the Radio and Television Broadcasters Law 7(I)/1998 (as amended) and to article 18D of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation Law, Chapter 300A (as amended), Media literacy constitutes a statutory mandate for the Cyprus Radio Television Authority (CRTA). In response to this mandate, Media Literacy Seminars project stands out as the most prominent and sustained media literacy intervention of CRTA in the field; it has been implemented in cooperation with the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute for more than 10 years. Its success is attributed to its wide accessibility, as it reaches diverse and large audiences (both in urban and rural areas of the Republic of Cyprus) and its pedagogical flexibility by allowing educators to choose from a curated set of topics according to the needs and interests of their students.

During the 2024-2025 school year the seminars were offered to the largest ever extent; a total of 68 seminars were delivered to 1,049 students, while 81 educators also attended the seminars. The thematic areas addressed focused on:

- Recognising and resisting misinformation, disinformation, and fake news: In this seminar, pupils discuss different news articles and are encouraged to reflect on the criteria they take into consideration to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of the information. By the end of the seminar, they understand the need to verify news and information, especially in the online environment and are aware of fundamental criteria to evaluate source credibility (both in terms of the author and the media) and the content of media messages.

- Protecting our digital footprint and online reputation: This seminar aims at developing students’ digital skills and competencies and emphasises the necessity to protect personal data in the digital sphere, to recognise how digital footprint and online reputation are constructed and safeguarded.

- Being an ethical and responsible netizen: This seminar helps pupils to understand their rights and responsibilities when they navigate the digital environment, to take advantage of the opportunities online, while they also recognise the risks and efficiently and effectively address them. Ultimately, it seeks to enhance users’ ethical digital engagement.   

- Critical analysis and interpretation of advertising content and media messages: This seminar helps pupils to think critically about the construction of advertisements and to understand how different elements, such as colour, music, images, text, heroes are chosen to satisfy the purposes and goals of the creators. In this light they are urged to challenge stereotypical representations and to recognise and decode commercial intentions.   

The most well-received seminar topics at primary education were those aimed at fostering ethical and responsible online behaviour, as well as enhancing pupils' ability to critically analyze and interpret advertising content and media messages. Whereas, at secondary education level the seminar that attracted the greatest interest focused on identifying and resisting misinformation, disinformation, and fake news.  

The seminars are aligned with two fundamental pillars of media literacy theory: one refers to protection and concentrates on identifying potential dangers and risks of exposure to harmful media content and conduct. The other underlines empowerment – in this case of pupils as participants – and focuses on providing pupils with essential knowledge, critical thinking, and skills to become active and ethically responsible users of media in such a way that civic participation and active engagement are strengthened. In this light, the Media Literacy Seminars project reflects a proactive regulatory approach and demonstrates CRTA’s regulatory commitment to fostering media literacy in the Republic of Cyprus.