22 August 2007

MEDIA RELEASE

BSA Examines New Media Issues

The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) is releasing two studies today (22nd August) examining ‘new media’ issues. The first, Children’s Media Use and Responses, examines the latest New Zealand and international studies of children’s media use and responses, and the second, Media Literacy Information in New Zealand, is a comparative review of media literacy activity here and overseas.

Researchers from Victoria and Massey universities carried out the review of children’s media use and responses. They concluded that ‘new media’ such as the internet and mobile phones invite interactive communications where users need occasionally to be mindful about their own safety and that of others.

While there are reports that children are comfortable with new media, there is little research separating what children say they can do with it, and what they actually do and think about it, especially when so much of new technology is used in the privacy of the bedroom.

BSA Chief Executive Dominic Sheehan said, ``The BSA has used this review to help develop questions for a major representative survey of children’s media use and responses currently being conducted by Colmar Brunton. The survey findings will be published in 2008.’’

The second publication, on the media literacy of adults, was undertaken by researchers from Massey University in Palmerston North.

Media literacy has been defined by the UK Office of Communications (OFCOM) as ‘The ability to access, understand and create communications in a variety of contexts.’

The report highlights the context of changing media technologies, international trends, and local development.

A section on international empirical research focuses largely on OFCOM’s benchmark work, but includes other major studies with a particular emphasis on international activities aimed at addressing media literacy issues among adults.

The New Zealand section, the core of the report, begins with information about access and amount of use of traditional and new media, then discusses understanding of media. For instance, an identified area of concern is the extent to which young or inexperienced users are able to critically evaluate the uncensored information they find on the internet.

The review concludes with a section on activities aimed at increasing media literacy among adults in New Zealand.

Copies of both reviews are available free of charge on the BSA website http://www.bsa.govt.nz/publications-booksandreports.php

ENDS

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