In this Information Age, students must be able to access, analyze and interpret information from both print and electronic sources. Television has become the primary agent of socialization in U.S. culture. Media education is highly compatible with multiple intelligence theory and practice. The media have penetrated the democratic process.
Media literacy is necessary for responsible citizenship in a democratic society.
Debate and discourse have diminished. The basis of media literacy is critical thinking. Media education is experiential and nurtures group work, cooperative learning and partnership. Media literacy has been recognized by the National Institutes for Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Office for National Drug Control Policy, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Education as a powerful tool in deterring at-risk behavior. Media are concerned about the production of profitable information, not necessary socially useful information.