Media and Information Literacy in Latin America and the Caribbean: Introduction and Reflections

Resumen

This monograph is part of a special issue co-organized by the Latin American Journal of Communication - Chasqui and the Journal of Latin American Communication Research, dedicated to Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is the result of a strategic alliance between CIESPAL, ALAIC, the Latin American and Caribbean Regional Representation of the Global Alliance for MIL promoted by UNESCO, Las Otras Voces - Communication for Democracy, and UNIMINUTO. Their common goal is to identify, highlight, and articulate initiatives from Latin America in a context of accelerated transformations in a region marked by inequality. The issue brings together research conducted in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Cuba, and other countries to showcase the diversity of experiences and approaches on the topic. MIL is addressed as a multidimensional field that combines critical media education, technological appropriation, disinformation prevention, citizenship empowerment, and public policy development. The text offers a cross-sectional reading of the articles, placing them in dialogue with international literature and highlighting their contributions in areas such as democracy, health, youth, and pedagogical innovation. Based on these experiences, it recognizes both the progress and the challenges the region faces in consolidating a robust, articulated, and sustainable MIL ecosystem. The special issue thus aims to make a significant contribution to Ibero-American academic cooperation and to the design of educational and social strategies that respond to the challenges of the 21st century.