Community Media Association launches Arts Strategy – 2010-2012

Last year I was consulted for a report commissioned by the Community Media Association (CMA), that they published yesterday.  Researched and authored by Tamar Millen, the report explores the relationship between community media initiatives and the arts, to the mutual benefit of both sectors.  

In the introduction the Chair of the CMA Phil Shepherd says;  

“This strategy shows how much greater an impact the community media sector can generate when it is infused with the power of the creative arts. It shows too how collaboration with community media can bring substantial new audiences to artists as well as providing a potent environment for social engagement and professional development. Communities need spaces to converse with one another, to share information, to co-create ideas and dreams, to learn to honour difference, to build bridges across divides. Community media can and does provide such spaces – via the large number of community radio stations enabled through the 2002 Communications Act (for which the CMA vigorously lobbied) and via the emerging networks of community producers and web based projects. In 2010 the sector can be characterised increasingly around shared cross media platforms, collaborative production and the building of wide partnerships.

 By making the case for greater collaboration this strategy draws us all closer to realising a collective aim; to ensure that every citizen in the country has a guaranteed minimum level of access to the means of participating and enjoying the creative arts on platforms which they own and control. At an individual as well as a community level, this is nothing less than the stuff of transformational change.”  

Too download the report as a pdf click here. To go to the page about the report on the CMA website click here. 

 As a council member of the CMA I am proud that they have published this.  Much of the work happening in community media is cutting edge in both its’ artistic approach as well as its’ social commentary.  For an example see the film ‘Women’s Voices’, previously posted on this blog – click here.
By the very nature of its experimental participatory ethos, much of the productions coming from community video projects particularly could be considered avant-garde without even deliberately trying to be.  I have often found that parts of the brain primary aged children use to spark their imaginations without too much effort, adult artists hardly even realise exists.   

I think there is a huge potential in community radio stations producing soap opera style drama with local actors.  Obviously (and unfortunately) it does come back to funding.  This report was co-funded by the Arts Council of England, so if you live in England and have an idea for how community media and the arts can combine, well worth knocking on their door!

Open letter from the CMA to Ben Bradshaw,Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport

From: Community Media Association
Sent: Mon 08/06/2009 20:19
To: Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw MP
Subject: Open letter from the CMA to Ben Bradshaw,Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport

Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw MP
Secretary of State
Department for Culture, Media & Sport
2 – 4 Cockspur Street
London
SW1Y 5DH

Community radio & the wider community media sector

Dear Ben Bradshaw

I am writing to welcome you to your new post as Secretary of State for
Culture, Media & Sport.

The Community Media Association is the umbrella body representing
community radio and the wider community media sector. Community radio
in particular is one of the government’s real success stories, going
from 15 stations in 2001 to the current number of 201 licensed
stations, which is likely to rise to 300 by the end of next year. It
is the true “third tier” of radio, serving some of the most
disadvantaged and marginalised communities throughout the UK.

The CMA is also involved in urging the government to enable the
development of local television in the UK, through United for Local
Television, which would create many jobs in both the creative
industries and local journalism sectors.

Your colleagues at DCMS already have a wealth of information from the
CMA both on the future of the radio sector and local TV. I would
though welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss the future
of community media in the UK, particularly in the light of the recent
resolution by Europe’s Council of Ministers supporting the development
and expansion of community media across Europe, signed by the UK
government.

I look forward to hearing from you and wish you well in your new post.

Yours sincerely

Jaqui Devereux
Director, Community Media Association

Community Media Association – www.commedia.org.uk

The multiple faces of Media Literacy

I attended the informative “Your Media, Your Tools” dissemination event at Leicester’s De Montfort University run by the Community Media Association (CMA) last Friday. It included a presentation by Ofcom talking about their media literacy agenda, as well as radio and video groups from across the UK showcasing the results of their involvement in CMA’s media literacy project.

It has always struck me just how slippery the term ‘media literacy’ is, with a different emphasis depending on the agenda of the person talking about it. I used to get frustrated by what I saw as a watering down of the notion, wanting the literacy aspect to acknowledged as the critical pedagogy that resides in community media activity, and that was me wearing my personal agenda on my sleeve. I now feel however it would be more useful to slow my judgement and analyse each different face of media literacy in its own right, as each interpretation of the term contains pragmatic, theoretical and/or ideological meaning for each different type of user, so that is worth looking at without undue dismissal.

In future articles I will be exploring the idea of media literacy in the nine predominant guises that I have seen it discussed within the community media sector, media education events, published research and academia. As with all identities of phenomena there is some overlap different contexts, though they will be analysed from the perspective of emphasis, and therefore argue that the identities described here are valid. Notions described in the future will be:

-  Media Literacy as media savvy
-  Media Literacy as semiotics
-  Media Literacy as creative activism
-  Media Literacy as cross-curricula engagement
-  Media Literacy as IT support
-  Media Literacy as media sector training
-  Media Literacy as process
-  Media Literacy as informed media consumption and media use

Interestingly, given this fractious identity, the actual definition of media literacy itself is, with slight variations, mostly settled in a broad consensus without too much debate. It is the interpretation of the accepted definition which is the cause of the majority of debate. Even though there is not one single definition, in loose terms it is widely acknowledged as being about;

- the right to have access to media platforms & tools;
- the need for people to be empowered to understand the media and its ever changing nuances;
- the ability to create media communications if so desired.

Some example of this are;

Ofcom’s definition is; “the ability to access, understand and create communications in a variety of contexts.” They acknowlegde they are mostly concerned with media literacy as applied to digital technology and that people should be able to use the equipment to get the most out of it. (Media Literacy as Media Savvy / Media Literacy as IT support).

According to The Media Literacy Task Force:
“If people are to participate fully at work or in their community, or communicate effectively with family, friends and colleagues globally, or consume media intelligently they need to be media savvy. They need to understand how media works and to feel comfortable questioning what they watch and read. They need a sense of who knows or owns what, and to what extent what you see is really what you get. And, very importantly, they need to become confident in using and exploiting the possibilities of new devices and media channels.”
(Media Literacy as Media Savvy / Media Literacy as informed media consumption and media use / Media Literacy as semiotics / Media Literacy as IT support)

The Center for Media Literacy‘s view is: the ability to communicate competently in all media forms as well as to access, understand, analyze, evaluate and participate with powerful images, words and sounds that make up our contemporary mass media culture. Indeed, we believe these skills of media literacy are essential for both children and adults as individuals and as citizens of a democratic society.
(Media Literacy as Media Savvy / Media Literacy as creative activism / Media Literacy as process)

At some point in the not-to-distant future I will expand on these ideas in a case by case basis in future blog articles, and also write this up as a full academic referenced paper.

Until then, thanks for popping by. Comments always welcome.

Shawn