We are all inundated with information and news in today’s world. There’s no escaping it. We’re constantly bombarded with information, both willingly and unwillingly, to the point where it’s hard to distinguish fact from fiction. And we often find ourselves trapped in the web of Western media empires.
Teenagers, along with adults, are prime victims of these news and media traps. It’s crucial to introduce them to media literacy principles from a young age, while their minds are still developing, so they don’t fall prey to media manipulation later in life.
The textbook “Critical Thinking and Media Literacy” is a step in the right direction, but there’s a clear need for more creative and engaging approaches.
To address this need, Mohammadreza Niroomandi, a young author from Isfahan, has written “10 Secrets of Ashbaria,” a humorous and engaging novel designed to introduce teenagers to media literacy principles.
Niroomandi, a graduate of the Iran Broadcasting University’s directing program, is skilled in documentary filmmaking, screenwriting, and fiction writing. During his university years, he produced a documentary on a resistant economy.
After joining the ‘Ghandil New School,’ he became more serious about writing and delved into storytelling based on the school’s intellectual foundations, specifically for teenagers. One result of this is his novel, “10 Secrets of Ashbaria.”
We sat down with him to discuss this novel and the importance of media literacy education for teenagers.
Could you elaborate on the history and teaching methods of the Ghandil New School?
We were previously part of the Imam Reza Cultural Center and founded the Ravagh schools of Isfahan with the goal of Islamic education. However, we soon realized that our approach lacked comprehensiveness. The language of teenagers had evolved, and we needed to communicate with them using a more artistic language. Additionally, the educational structure needed to be more systematic. Our work in the Ravagh schools was on a small scale, preventing us from reaching a wider audience and making a significant impact. Despite a genuine desire among many young people to learn about religious and spiritual matters, there was a lack of suitable platforms. That’s why we established the Ghandil New School. Our aim was to utilize art and various artistic mediums to facilitate these discussions.
In your book, you have addressed concepts like rumor-mongering, the spiral of silence, gullibility, uncritical acceptance of news, and the spread of meaningless information. What other concepts have you included?
We’ve also explored concepts such as polarization, the power of headlines, the hidden economic and political forces behind media organizations that lead to news blackouts or excessive coverage, media-driven prioritization of issues for society, and media representation.
Why is it important for teenagers to be media literate, and what are the consequences of a lack of media literacy?
In our school, we say that the media is the ‘bottleneck of clarifying the truth’. Not just teenagers, but adults as well, are often manipulated by media representations and narratives. Falsehoods are frequently presented as truths, and trivial matters are given undue importance. Most media power is in the hands of entities with specific agendas and policies that are often hostile to Iran and Iranians. This makes media literacy, especially news literacy and understanding cognitive warfare techniques, all the more critical.
Currently, an engaging online game has been launched as a continuation of the story, where players take on the role of a prosecutor and must solve several media-related cases. This campaign has been launched in collaboration with the Shiraz Media Center and Ghandil Publications.
