About

Who's Behind Canadians for Media Literacy?

Hello! I’m Janie Chang. A Canadian author from BC.  The world is a total  sh** show and sometimes you have to DO SOMETHING to feel better. Yes, there are a lot of problems in the world to worry about, but that way lies madness and self-medication so I've decided to focus my efforts on One Thing and try to make a difference for that One Thing. 

And the winning One Thing is . . . digital media literacy !! I know. It's not as high profile as CUSMA negotiations or as exciting as Arctic defense, but I believe digital media literacy is as important to our democracy and national security as any military procurement. I believe media literacy is essential to our mental well being. You’ve probably noticed the rise of divisive online content - scams, disinformation, and hate messages. Online media is now the primary medium for political and civic information, and the landscape will only get worse as hostile nations and groups use increasingly sophisticated technologies to manipulate our emotions, opinions and thinking. This is deeply troubling not to mention dangerous to our society. 

Most troubling of all is the impact on our younger generation.

The good news is that there are solutions for media literacy education - strategies and practical steps -- that we can emulate, thanks to other countries that have already done it. 

Briefly, about media literacy

Media literacy promotes skills essential for engaging in civic discourse, making well-informed life decisions, and safeguarding mental health. In the 2000's Canada was a leader in media literacy but we’ve fallen behind. 

Nordic nations such as Finland are now the most media-literate, with children as young as six being taught how to identify fake news and resist online manipulation.

Disinformation is so corrosive to our society but it's especially harmful to children. I want our federal and provincial governments to help make digital media literacy a required component of K – 12 school curriculums. There’s little we can do to control the sources of disinformation. I'm not counting on Big Tech to do the right thing. So we must ensure that young Canadians have the skills and tools to resist harmful messages. .

What Canadian authors are asking from the federal government

Authors are rounding up signatures to an Open Letter that asks the Federal government to provide leadership, sustained funding, and a cohesive national strategy. This isn't breaking new ground: there are already successful models from Nordic countries which we can adapt to Canadian needs. 

Media literacy doesn't actually have a home in Ottawa - there isn't an MP or ministry looking after such a portfolio. Therefore, no consistent funding, monitoring, research, or outreach to the provinces. Organizations such as MediaSmarts have developed a national strategy. What's needed now is enough pressure from enough Canadians to get our governments to take action. 

Why start with an Open Letter signed by authors??

An activist friend told me that in Canada, for some reason, authors have outsize influence with politicians. Whoo hoo! After speaking with people who have lobbied the government on media literacy in schools, their opinion is that for this particular issue an Open Letter signed by hundreds of Canadian authors would have more impact than a Petition to Parliament. Let's use our collective platform as authors to push for more action. 

What Canadians can ask their provincial Education ministries

Since school programs are set by the provinces and not the Federal government, we need to lobby at the provincial level. And yes, schools already offer media literacy courses; however these courses are not required nor are they always offered in a cohesive stream that maximizes learning in media literacy. In some schools a student can go from K to Grade 12 without taking a single class in digital media literacy.

Provincial education ministries will want to see leadership and funding from the federal government. Therefore, we need campaigns aimed at both federal and provincial governments. We need to launch a letter-writing campaign which will be a grassroots effort that asks Canadians to lobby their provincial education ministries about making media literacy a mandatory part of the core curriculum. 

With much gratitude,

Janie Chang

Globe and Mail bestselling author of: THE FOURTH PRINCESS * THE PHOENIX CROWN * THE PORCELAIN MOON * THE LIBRARY OF LEGENDS * DRAGON SPRINGS ROAD * THREE SOULS

Other stuff I've worked on just FYI

In 2015, I founded and organized Authors for Indies, a completely volunteer-run effort for authors to show appreciation for independent bookstores. This ran for three years; it has since been rebranded as Canadian Independent Bookstore Day and is now run by the Canadian Independent Bookstore Association.

In 2021, I helped launch Changing the Climate Story. Along with authors Catherine Bush, Claudia Caspar, Shaena Lambert, Catherine Leroux, Darrel McLeod, Murray Reiss, Carrie Saxifrage, Madeleine Thien and others, we petitioned the federal government via an Open Letter signed by 170 authors to strengthen the Bill C-12 Climate Accountability Act.

Since 2021, I've served on the Authors Committee of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, and for the past two years as committee co-chair. 2026 is my final year with the Prize.