MDLAB trains university and school professors, students, activists, and journalists from various Arab countries on media literacy skills. During the sessions, the academy focuses on the verification of information as a foundation of media literacy. Media literacy is taught in many Lebanese universities and schools today, even if not as a subject in itself. Through training and curriculum building, the academy’s efforts have resulted in the introduction of media literacy courses in more than sixty universities in the Arab world, and in courses like “Introduction to Media and Society” and “Introduction to Communication.” Despite the great effort and progress made by the academy, it still faces significant challenges in promoting media literacy. The Lebanese Ministry of Education has not cooperated with the academy to introduce media literacy into public schools and universities on a large scale, as was the case in Jordan. The reason, according to the founder of the academy, Dr. Jad Melki, is “the great chaos in Lebanon and the confusion over many internal issues and political problems.” In his opinion, this led to “limiting progress in the field, although we spearheaded it. Now, many countries have surpassed us” (interview, June 2021). In terms of academic work and civil society, Lebanon has made good progress in media literacy. However, ongoing political, economic, and security crises continue to hamper development. Melki has called on the Lebanese Minister of Education to prioritize the “adoption and introduction of media literacy in schools and universities.” 5.3 PALESTINE In 2014, the Media and Information Literacy Program was launched and implemented by the Palestinian Youth Association for Leadership and Rights Activation (PYALARA), in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the Deutsche Welle Academy, and with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The program aims to train and educate people on media and information literacy. It works with schools and teachers, public relations and media education figures in the Ministry of Education, universities, I N FO R M ATI O N D I SO R D ER IN THE GLOBA L SOUTH journalists, and civil society organizations. The Ministry of Education has also incorporated media literacy into the national curriculum; so far, it has been integrated into nineteen courses from Grade 5 to high school. In 2017, PYALARA issued a media literacy guide for teachers,9 which combines the theoretical framework of media literacy with practical and experiential aspects. The association is also aiming to launch an interactive center for media literacy, which would mainly target school students and teachers. The program coordinator, Helmi Abu-Atwan, asserted that there are numerous challenges facing the development of media literacy in Palestine. The most significant of these are low budgetary allocations for media and information literacy and the lack of specialists and training in the field. This is in addition to other obstacles, such as the classification of Palestine as a region due to its occupation by Israel (interview, June 2021). Media literacy is not highly developed in Palestine, but in Abu-Atwan’s opinion, the region is on the path to success. He considers “the Palestinian experience as pioneering among Arab countries.” He stressed the need to continue training and for the state to provide support for media literacy. It should also be integrated better in schools and universities, and media outlets should focus on launching awareness programs in the field. PYALARA is not the only organization spreading media literacy in Palestine; there are other institutions and initiatives, such as the Kashif Observatory and the Media Development Center10 at Birzeit University, among others. 5.4 TUNISIA The Tunisian Association for Media Education11 was established in 2013 by a group of media professionals and educators to teach and promote media literacy through events, workshops, and seminars. In 2018 and 2019, the association signed agreements with both the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Education to teach a course on media literacy at the primary level. In 2020, the association signed an agreement with the Ministry of Women, Family, Children and the Elderly, with the aim of bringing a focus on the media into children’s education clubs (Espace Manager 2020). Tunisia has other organizations and initiatives that promote media literacy, including the Tunisian Association for Alternative Media,12 which was established in 2013 by a group of Tunisian journalists Middle East and North Africa – 44