Dr Eileen Culloty, Associate Professor at Dublin City University and Co-Chair of Media Literacy Ireland (MLI), delivered the final remarks at this year’s Media Literacy Ireland Conference, which took place on 26 November 2025 at the Clayton Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin. The annual event brought together media literacy practitioners, researchers and policy makers from across Ireland and internationally.
The theme for the 2025 conference was “Media Literacy – Supporting communities, fostering citizenship, promoting democracy”, reflecting the growing recognition of media literacy as a core civic skill in contemporary society.
More than 90 participants attended the day-long gathering, including keynote speakers, panel participants and breakout session contributors. International voices joined local experts to discuss key topics, such as media freedom, media pluralism, information integrity, and the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.
Dr Culloty’s closing address emphasised the remarkable progress made by the media literacy community, from a niche area of interest to an essential skill recognised in national conversations and strategies. “Media literacy has come a long way,” she reflected, noting the clear success of the day’s discussions and the strength of the community’s foundations heading into the next phase of work.
The conference programme included panels on fostering media freedom and media pluralism, highlighting how media literacy supports democratic processes; promoting information integrity, examining coordinated approaches to counter disinformation and making sense of AI, exploring media and AI literacy in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Interactive breakout sessions allowed attendees to engage deeply with these themes, including valuable contributions from the Webwise Ireland Youth Panel.
In her remarks, Dr Culloty acknowledged the organisers, partners and participants for their roles in making the conference a meaningful and energising experience for the media literacy community, and highlighted the importance of ongoing collaboration across schools, libraries, community groups, newsrooms and digital spaces.