Beyond media stereotyping. Media education as an opportunity to disclose everyday discrimination

This paper presents amedia education intervention against discrimination and to promote positive attitudes towards diversity. The intervention wascarried out in Italy in 2013-14 within the wider context of the European project e-Engagement against violence and involved about 25students who were engaged in media analysis and production activities around media othering strategies and reporting diversity. The paper illustrates and discusses the results of the intervention, and provide some conclusive considerationson the role of media education to promote anti-discriminatory attitudes.

"This paper presented and discussed one media education interventions aimed to conjugate the knowledge of mechanisms of building stereotypes about the ‘others’ in news media with the development of students’ awareness towards discrimination and their capacity to respect diversity. They were challenging aims which confronted, and even collided, with several and different critical issues (e.g., timing and equipment) which led teachers and researchers to modify, adapt and replan some activities. [...] he interventions here presented proved to be particularly relevant from two point of views. On one hand, they favoured the development of inclusive dynamics within the class, whereby more marginal students took the flor to contribute to the activity or to denouce(verbal or psychological) episodes of violence coped with at school or outside. On the other hand, students gradually improved their capacity to think of themselves in relation to discrimination, expressing this new awareness through creative productions (e.g., the writing of a news article) and changing a situation of discrimination in an opportunity for empowerment." (Fabbro & Ranieri, p.44)