<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV class="MsoNormal">Hi list,</DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal">Not quite a program, but Dutch policy advice from the Council of Culture, for which I acted as external expert, which I think is interesting as a broader educational and media-cultural umbrella,</DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal">Greetings, Rob</DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><B><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></B></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><B>Council for Culture 2005 Advisory Report on </B><B><I>Mediawijsheid</I></B></SPAN><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><B> .</B><O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><B> </B><O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Excerpts from the letter by the Council for Culture (Raad voor Cultuur), accompanying the 2005Advisory Report on <I>Mediawijsheid</I></SPAN><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> (literary: ‘media wisdom’).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The letter and report were submitted to the Minister of Education, Culture and Science (Dutch: OCW) and the Chairs of the Houses of Parliament. The Advisory Report was entitled <I>Media Wisdom: The Development of New Citizenship</I></SPAN><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> (Mediawijsheid: De ontwikkeling van nieuw burgerschap).<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><B>Background </B><O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The 2005 Advisory Report follows on from the 1996 Council for Culture advice which was concerned with Media Education and the policies for ict and education. At the time the Council for Culture concluded that the government plans were one-sided, placing too much emphasis on the instrumental and technical use ict, and the Council adviced to introduce of media education in schools. The recommendation was well received and generated a great deal of discussion, but the most important recommendation – integrating media education into the core goals and final terms of school education – was not implemented. […]<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Nine years later, in 2005, the Council for Culture signalled a growing number of organisations and institutes active within the field of Media Education. Nonetheless it concluded that in practice media education was characterised by a lack of transfer of knowledge; limited continuity in development and an abensence of a coherent (policy) perspective. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><B>The 2005 Advisory Report: ‘Media Wisdom’</B><O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">In the 2005 Advisory Report, the Council for Culture proposes to broaden the term Media Education into to term Media Wisdom. This shift in perspective is prompted by social and cultural changes, acknowledging that we see an increasing ‘mediatisation’ of society and culture. Media are affecting almost every corner of society. The media are becoming context, content and intermediaries of information<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>knowledge and experiences.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Media affect how people communicate, what about, what they value and the extent they feel connected. Media, whether old media or new, analogue or digital, play a significant part in all of those ways. Media have become our environment, rather than being just elements in our surroundings . <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The growing influence of media also has an impact on democratic institutions and the meaning of modern citizenship. Citizens are becoming more responsible for themselves and the role they play in society. This is partly an autonomous process, which they choose themselves, and partly a process instigated by measures taken by a receding government. This is possible thanks to the media, and in particular the possibilities opened up by the internet.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><B>Media-wise</B><O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">To allow citizens to participate fully in a media-saturated society, it’s crucial that they are media-wise. Citizens who are not media competent will find themselves excluded from parts of society. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The council prefers the term ‘media wisdom’ to ‘media education’ because the latter focuses on everyday practice, in addition to the government exclusively acting on school education, children and adolescents, supply and protection. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The most significant consequences of the Council’s proposed change of focus are:<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><UL style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">‘media wisdom’ goes beyond school education: because citizens need wisdom in the fields of health care, politics and safety<O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">‘media wisdom’ does not exclusively concern children and adolescents: in order to function as well as possible in modern society, everyone needs to be media-wise<O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">the aim and necessity of media wisdom is not a matter solely of dealing with the media, but of being able to participate in society<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI></UL><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">‘Media Wisdom’ puts more emphasis on creating and producing media content and attitude as an aspect of media wisdom, i.e. citizens should be aware of how they use media and the effects of using it, both for themselves and for others.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The shift in perspective argued by the Council for Culture implies that wherever media are being produced or used, media wisdom should be promoted. This means that making people and society media wise is relevant for a wide range of social and policy domains<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>– from health care to housing to politics, as well as education […]. The public media should play an important role: they should behave as an immaculate examplars. Their products should be a benchmark of reliability, pluriformity, accessibility, quality and transparency. Media professionals should offer their knowledge and skills more often to the new social middle segment, and supply citizens with the tools to play a more active role in society.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">In terms of school education, the Council does not propose a separate discipline teaching ‘media education’ or ‘media wisdom’, but rather the implementation of certain aspects of media wisdom as part of ‘citizenship education’. It also pleads for appointing ‘media coaches’ within schools. They will guide and inspire the media educators in schools, safeguard continuity and develop projects with extra-curricular partners.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Cultural institutes involved in media education should focus more on production and attitude and – together with all other institutions that use media – focus more on sharing knowledge, cooperation and working on demand. Public libraries will play an important role in the promotion of ‘media wisdom’, because of their accessibility and range. They will however have to reconsider, and possibly adjust, their role.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"><B>Policy recommendations</B></SPAN><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The council has formulated some recommendations for government policy. The key recommendations can be summarised as follows:<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><UL style="margin-top:0in" type="disc"><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">*The national government will consider the necessity of promoting media wisdom and will provide the necessary financial means. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Promoting media wisdom is a responsibility of the Cabinet and should be the concern of<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>the minister of OCW who will strive for an inter-departmental approach.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Promoting media wisdom deserves a prominent place on the ICT innovation agenda of the national government.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">The government will develop the instruments to stimulate the sharing of knowledge and cooperation in the field of media wisdom and to enable the translation thereof into concrete activities.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">This perspective on media wisdom should be incorporated into citizenship education. The government should stimulate schools with which to appoint media coaches. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Cultural institutions should consider this vision and should – through conditions for subsidy – be stimulated to develop activities which promote media wisdom. The role of public libraries in promoting media wisdom should be expressed in agreements on the formation of basic libraries and in the policy of the Union of Public Libraries. <O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI><LI class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo2;tab-stops:list .5in"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Promoting media wisdom should be a structural part of media policy and should be formulated as a task of the public broadcasters.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></LI></UL><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB"> <O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">Council for Culture, July 2005<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><DIV class="MsoNormal"><SPAN lang="EN-GB" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-GB">English version /excerpt September October.<O:P></O:P></SPAN></DIV><BR></BODY></HTML>