The Information Literacy Group and CILIP have announced a joint initiative to launch a new cross-sector Media and Information Literacy Alliance (http://www.mila.org.uk), with the aim of “helping people be happier, healthier, safer and better-informed in their online lives”.

Timed to coincide with the imminent announcement of the Government’s new Online Media Literacy Strategy white paper, the Alliance has already received a positive response from stakeholders in the press and broadcast media, education, Government and 3rd sector. The inaugural meeting of the Alliance will be held on the 26th August.

Welcoming the announcement, Chair of the Information Literacy Group Dr Jane Secker said, “’Media and Information Literacy’ (MIL) refers to the knowledge, skills and behaviours that people need in order to make informed judgements as users of information and media, as well as to become skilful creators and producers of information and media messages in their own right.

In a world in which we are all constantly bombarded with messages across a variety of digital platforms, we need to be ready to equip our users to make informed choices about the media they consumer and share. This new Alliance will enable us to connect with partners across industry, Government, education and the media and to develop a joined-up response to the challenges of fake news and misinformation.”

The Alliance has set out 5 areas of activity for its initial work:

• Advocacy
• Capacity-building
• Research
• Programme delivery
• Cross-sector networking & collaboration

The Alliance will also work in affiliation with the new CILIPS-supported information literacy Community of Practice in Scotland.

CILIP and the Information Literacy Group are actively soliciting expressions of interest from organisations, individuals and networks who share a common interest in the promotion of Media and Information Literacy. To register your interest, please visit http://www.mila.org.uk and complete your details via the web form.