Coimisiún na Meán has announced over €268,000 in funding to support Media Literacy and Countering Disinformation projects. Allocated as part of Budget 2026 to support the implementation of Ireland’s National Counter Disinformation Strategy, the funding has been awarded for three projects, to be delivered by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), and DCU FuJo/EDMO Ireland.
The objective of the funding is to support projects that build resilience and trust at an individual and societal level, enhance collaboration, and provide evidence-based countermeasures to disinformation.
As a recipient of this funding, DCU FuJo/EDMO Ireland will deliver a six-month research project designed to support the mainstreaming of media literacy across the country.
While building resilience against disinformation is a remit shared by many sectors—including media, public libraries, education, and community organisations—coordinating these diverse groups presents distinct hurdles. Many sectors face a steep learning curve due to a lack of prior experience, compounded by general confusion surrounding “media literacy” as an umbrella concept that incorporates information, digital, and AI literacy. Furthermore, finding high-quality, evidence-based resources is challenging, as the Irish landscape is often flooded with international, English-language materials of varying quality.
Drawing on the expertise of EDMO Ireland and related projects on disinformation and media literacy at Dublin City University, this project will combine desk research and in-depth interviews over the next six months to deliver novel insights and practical recommendations.
Specifically, the DCU FuJo/EDMO Ireland team will:
- Map media literacy implementation across key Irish sectors.
- Review evidence for countering disinformation through media literacy.
- Assess stakeholder understanding, expectations, and needs.
The project will result in a set of practical recommendations aimed at guiding the national coordinating role of Media Literacy Ireland, facilitating the uptake of interventions within specific sectors, driving the development of new evidence-based resources, and shaping future research.