She told a training workshop for Women in News this week in Windhoek that by reading and using newspapers in classrooms, young people get to learn about a number of issues like human rights, diversity, the democratic process and critical thinking. She stated that newspapers can build a culture of reading from a tender age. The executive director for Young Readership Development said that Newspapers in Education (NIE) offers a platform for youngsters to be media literate at an early age. She said media literacy remains a challenge for most people - who always view the media in a bad light. The Windhoek workshop was attended by female journalists from Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.
McCane told the workshop that media literacy ensures that by the time young people are adults, they will understand what the media reports, especially on issues of education, democracy and freedom of expression in Africa. She added that it is crucial for the media to develop news products that attract the youth, as research has shown that this particular age group (the under-25) feels left out by the mainstream media. The Total Youth Think, as she calls it, is important in ensuring that media practitioners write for the youth not about them.
