Media literacy issues discussed at KazNU

The IV Central Asian Scientific Seminar "Media and Information Literacy in the Digital Space" was held in Al-Farabi KazNU in cooperation with the representation of the UN Department of Global Communications - UN Department of Public Information in Almaty.

Speaking at the opening of the event, the University's Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Lyazzat Erkinbaeva noted: "Accuracy, reliability and legal protection of information are priorities of the state policy. In digital education, the share of scientific research in increasing academic impact is growing"

Anel Koshkenbaeva, representative of the State Media Policy Department of the Ministry of Information and Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted in the preface that with active consumers of networks, channels in obtaining information, the most important issue is the literacy of the media. The role of professional journalism in this regard is exceptional. In this context, the Ministry, together with the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, is implementing programs aimed at the development of industry journalism.

Vlastimil Samek, representative of the UN Department of Global Communications in the Republic of Kazakhstan - Head of the UN Information Office in Almaty, emphasized that the issue of media and information literacy in the digital space is on the collective agenda of the UN. It is true that the barrier-free flow of information requires verification of its reliability. The influence of artificial intelligence on digital information is growing. Recognizing the information prism poses new challenges for professionals, the algorithm of information dissemination is changing. Therefore, media literacy is growing for the benefit of society.

In the seminar attaché for audiovisual cooperation in Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia Emmanuel Focillon summarized that the programs "Factchecking", "mobile shooting" in the field of digital media together with the Faculty of Journalism of KazNU successfully completed with the participation of journalism faculties of Central Asian countries, in the near future will be presented educational projects in the field of VR journalism.

During the seminar, a grant project of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan for applied research "development of an information resource in the field of digital literacy to identify indicators of misinformation and disinformation in Kazakhstan" of KazNU scientists was presented.

The scientific advisor of this project Prof. Thomas Hanitsch, head of the Department of Media and Communications at LMU Munich, noted that a group of scientists working in social networks and mass communications, conducting research on the study and identification of disinformation and indicators of disinformation.

The results of the study will contribute to expanding the population's opportunities to learn about media and information literacy and improving the information culture of young people.

Researchers from Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as master's and PhD students of the Faculty of Journalism took part.

Gulmira Sultanbayeva, Professor