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Media literacy: Moving from the Margins?

Most of us in media education might argue that, by definition, we teach people to be media literate. If push came to shove, however, we may not be able to articulate exactly what we meant by media literacy. Does it mean knowing about media industries? Content? Audiences? Does it mean being able to produce media content? Does it mean all of the above? Is it possible to write one book that captures all that media literacy means and is? The calls for media literacy are not new. What is relatively new is (a) the rise of inexpensive media that allow students to produce their own works, (b) the continuing, rapid transnational transmission of programming, and (c) the concerted effort over the years by a number of countries to develop national media literacy curricula. In the United States, the term media literacy i s normally associated with K-12 education (Hobbs, 1998). Sometimes, the term i s used as a synonym for media education (Sholle & Denski, 1994). College and university media education programs in the United States tend to see their missions in terms of a professional orientation (Christ & Hynes, 1997) with the discussions of media literacy, if they take place at all, reserved for classes taught in the general education program. But what is media literacy and how well does W. James Potter’s book educate people to become media literate?