and civil society activists to introduce the Tunisian youth in the region to good journalistic practices. There is also the Media Literacy Project in Tunisia,13 which is a digital educational tool focused on raising awareness about the media and enhancing critical thinking skills. Many videos, resources, and articles on verifying information and sources have been presented through this platform, along with materials on distinguishing accurate information from propaganda, and so forth. Tunisia has not yet attained an advanced level of media literacy. The director of the Tunisian Association for Media Education, Najih El-Missaoui, explained that despite various attempts, media literacy has not been successfully introduced into educational curricula in schools or universities. El-Missaoui asserted that Tunisia today has only a few clubs, activities, and training courses on media literacy, and there is no tendency at the official level to consider media literacy a priority. In addition to the financial and economic problems in Tunisia, El-Missaoui said that there are “many logistical challenges to the development and promotion of media literacy in the country” (interview, June 2021). 5.5 BAHRAIN In March 2020, the Bahraini Ministry of Education announced that a media course had been devised for the secondary level and would be included in the curriculum in 2022. It will cover general media concepts and elements, media ethics, and mediarelated skills such as assessment and production. The course will educate students on how media outlets work and on how users can evaluate content and participate on media platforms. Dr. Fawaz Al-Shorooqi, a Bahraini specialist in media literacy, explained that the course has been designed for students at secondary level. Once the results have been analyzed, plans will be made to expand the course to other levels (interview, June 2021). Today, media literacy is taught in a number of Bahraini schools and through various courses. AlShorooqi explained that what is required is for “private organizations to supplement the role of those in charge of education in Bahrain by promoting media literacy in other sectors of society apart from the student sector.” In his opinion, one of the most significant challenges facing the country in the promotion and development of media literacy is the need for permanent and continuous follow-ups “due to the many changes in media work and its nature.” I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH 5.6 EGYPT Egypt is still lagging far behind in media literacy, especially due to the suppression of freedom of opinion and expression, the control that the state exercises over media institutions, and the restrictions on civil society organizations. According to El Ghetany (2017), the most significant challenge in terms of the promotion of media literacy in Egypt is that the government does not consider media literacy a priority. This is in addition to overloaded curricula and a lack of resources needed to train teachers. Najla’a Al-Omari, an Egyptian media advisor and expert in media literacy, stated that Egypt’s lack of interest in media literacy is “due to the absence of a serious call by the key actors. Moreover, officials are reluctant about the media and afraid of everything related to it because this is a particularly sensitive topic in Egypt” (interview, June 2021). 5.7 CONCLUSION Based on our analysis and the interviews we conducted with six media education experts from six different countries, we can deduce that the region is not very advanced in media literacy. This is despite the many promising initiatives and developments and despite the many recommendations that national policies be set to promote media literacy and to incorporate it into curricula at both school and tertiary level. Many logistical and material challenges remain. These include a lack of competencies and a lack of training and resources in Arabic. Additionally, the ministries of education in most Arab countries underestimate the importance of promoting media literacy and integrating it into curricula. This type of literacy would have a significant positive impact on citizens, who are exposed to various types of fake and misleading media content on a daily basis. It should be noted that in June 2021 the Council of Arab Ministers of Information urged Bahrain to start implementing its proposal to organize and host a seminar on the integration of media literacy in curricula for all levels (Alrai 2021). However, these exhortations will remain hollow unless they are followed up by implementation plans and genuine national policies to disseminate and enhance media education. The promotion and development of media literacy in the Arab world today is crucial in order to combat misinformation and the spread of false news. Fact checking is not enough, and legislation Middle East and North Africa – 45