Public Connections: International Series of Debates on Public Service Media and Media Literacy

MILObs – the Observatory on Media, Information and Literacy, run by CECS/University of Minho, in partnership with the Postgraduate Programme in Communication at the University of Brasília (PPGCom/UnB), is organising, in September and October, “Public Connections: International Series of Debates on Public Service Media and Media Literacy
The initiative stems from a central question: what role do public media services play in promoting media literacy and strengthening citizenship?
The organisers’ aim is to create a space for dialogue that brings together universities, public media services and society, discussing not only policies and frameworks for media literacy, but also experiences, institutional practices and concrete avenues for action. Under the theme ‘Public service media and media literacy: connections to strengthen citizenship’, the Cycle seeks to explore this relationship beyond the strictly journalistic sphere. The programme aims to cover different dimensions of the public service media’s mission – information, culture, education, entertainment, participation, innovation and engagement with audiences – and to discuss how media literacy can cut across these different areas.

A series spanning Brazil and Portugal

The programme will be organised in two stages, in line with the academic schedules of the institutions involved.
In September, the sessions will feature a greater concentration of Brazilian researchers, professionals and institutions and will be linked to the ‘Special Topics in Public Media and Media Literacy’ module, run by PPGCom/UnB. The first two sessions will have a special feature: they will take place in person at public media organisations in Brasília.
On 1 September, from 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm, the opening of the Cycle will take place at Rádio Cultura FM in Brasília. The meeting will begin with the theme “Public Media and Media Literacy: why does this relationship matter?”, followed by a discussion on “Rádio Cultura FM: re-emergence, memory, journalism and media literacy”.
The discussion will feature professionals and researchers associated with Rádio Cultura and will draw on the study “Rádio Cultura de Brasília 100.9 FM: memory and written accounts on the revival of public radio in the Federal District”. As well as revisiting the station’s history and legacy, the event aims to discuss the role that media literacy has played, and may come to play, in Rádio Cultura’s work.
On 8 September, also from 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm, the series moves to the headquarters of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC) in Brasília. The event will be dedicated to the policies, strategies and practices of media literacy, and to the possibilities for aligning this field with the mission of public media services.
The programme includes a discussion on European models and policies for media literacy and education, a presentation of the Brazilian Media Education Strategy (EBEM), and a dialogue on the EBC’s own experiences, challenges and potential for action in this field.
The remaining September sessions will take place online, broadening the dialogue with invited researchers and professionals.

Second phase strengthens dialogue with Portugal

In October, Public Connections / Conexões Públicas enters a second phase, held entirely online, with more direct participation from researchers and guests from Portugal, particularly researchers affiliated with MILObs and the CECS – Centre for Communication and Society Studies at the University of Minho, whilst also maintaining the presence of Brazilian participants.

(The programme for this second stage will be announced shortly)

By bringing together research, training and the practical experiences of public communication services, Conexões Públicas aims to establish itself as a space for reflection, but also for the collective exploration of possibilities.
Rather than simply asking what public media can teach us about media literacy, the series proposes to discuss how they can incorporate it into their own mission, thereby strengthening citizens’ ability to understand, interpret, question, produce and participate critically in the contemporary media landscape.

[Posted: 1 September 2026]