Globalisation:Media Smart

Chantal Bennett, Leigh Gallagher, Ludo Moyo & Kirstin Walker

Media Smart Official Website: http://www.mediasmart.org.uk/

Media Smart is an organisation funded by fast-food, media and toy industries. Its website states it is a

"non profit media literacy programme for school children aged 6 to 11 years old, focused on advertising. Media Smart develops and provides, free of charge and on request, educational materials to primary schools that teach children to think critically about advertising in the context of their daily lives. Our materials use real examples of advertising to teach core media literacy skills.

History

• History and Aims

Directors

• Paul Jackson, chair

In 2005 Jackson was recorded as:

• Vice President of the World Federation of Advertisers
• Chairman of the Responsible Advertising and Children Group which represents the interests of European Advertisers,agencies and the media.

People

Mediasmart does not name its employees on its website.

Expert Group (as of November 2008)

Media Smarts Expert group includes a range of Academics and experts in education, media and Government officials form the regulator group Ofcom.

Funders

Supporters or Funders of Media Smart

Independent report

In 2006 Media Smart commissioned an independent evaluation of their BeAdwise 2 teaching materials from The Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media, Institute of Education, University of London. In 2007 the centre produced their independent report. The overall conclusions of the report were positive.

The authors of the report were

• Professor David Buckingham
• Dr Rebecca Willett
• Dr Shakuntala Banaji
• Dr Susan Cranmer

Buckingham and Willet are members of Media Smart's expert group.

Media Smart: Activities

The media smart website runs activities though their web-site for younger children to enjoy outside of the school environment. Aimed at children between the ages of 5 and 11 they provide stimulating and enjoyable pastime to make them realise how much advertising plays in their daily lives. Globalisation: Media Smart:Activities

Their relationship with academics and what they need them for

ofcom

Ofcom regulates all UK airwaves for communication, to ensure the public recieve

the best service possible.This includes:

TV Radio Telecommunications Ofcom operates under the Communications Act 2003 which tells them exactly what the company can do to help, no more, no less. Ofcom is accountable to Parliament and are control in advising and setting some of the more technical aspects of regulation, implementing and enforcing the law. Ofcom is funded by fees from industry for regulating broadcasting and

communications networks, and grant-in-aid from the Government

What we do Our main legal duties are to ensure: the UK has a wide range of electronic communications services, including high-speed services such as broadband; a wide range of high-quality television and radio programmes are provided, appealing to a range of tastes and interests; television and radio services are provided by a range of different organisations; people who watch television and listen to the radio are protected from harmful or offensive material; people are protected from being treated unfairly in television and radio programmes, and from having their privacy invaded; and the radio spectrum (the airwaves used by everyone from taxi firms and boat owners, to mobile-phone companies and broadcasters) is used in the most effective way.

What we do not do We are not responsible for regulating: disputes between you and your telecoms provider; premium-rate services, including mobile-phone text services and ringtones; the content of television and radio adverts; complaints about accuracy in BBC programmes; the BBC TV licence fee; or newspapers and magazines

Who they work with

• Action with Communities in Rural England
• Age UK
• Antelope Consulting
• British Wireless for the Blind Fund
• Centre for Consumers and Essential Services
• Children’s Commissioner for England
• Citizens Advice
• Communications & Internet Services Adjudicators Scheme
• Communications Consumer Panel
• Community Network
• Consumer Council for Northern Ireland
• Consumer Focus
• DC10 plus
• Future Inclusion
• GK consulting
• Hearing Concern Link
• The Helplines Association
• International Longevity Centre
• Mediawatch
• Mind
• National Association of Deafened People
• National Consumer Federation
• Ofcom
• Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman
• PhoneAbility
• PhonepayPlus
• Privacy International
• Public Utilities Access Forum
• Royal National Institute of Blind People
• Royal National Institute for Deaf People
• Scope
• Sense
• Telecommunications Action Group
• Trading Standards Institute
• Voice of the Listener and Viewer
• W4B The TV and Radio Charity
• Which?

Advertising association

The advertising assosiations home page states'We are the only organisation that

represents all sides of the advertising and promotion industry in the UK - 
advertisers, agencies and the mediaWe promote and protect advertising. We communicate 

its commercial and consumer benefits and we seek the optimal regulatory

environment for our industry'

Our goal is that advertising should enjoy responsibility from its practitioners, moderation from its regulators, and trust from its consumers.' Their other services include:

• Advertising Information Group
• Business4Life
• Debating Group
• Direct Marketing Group
• Digital Media Group
• [Food Advertising Unit]
• Media Business Course
• Statistical services and publications

Employees

• Tim Lefroy, Chief Executive
• Penny Hughes, President
• Andrew McGuinness, Chairman
• Dave Lewis, Vice Chairman
• Rupert Howell, Vice Chairman
• Karen Fraser, Head of Strategy
• Ged Glover, Commercial Director
• Catherine Hitchcock, Director of Finance & Administration
• Rae Burdon, Consultant
• Jack Haines, Research Executive
• Josh McBain, Research Executive
• Arabella Banks, External Affairs Co-ordinator
• Ina Mongia, Project Manager
• Gemma Hopkins, Intern

Note

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/about/corporate-responsibility/ Accessed 30/10/2010 http://www.adassoc.org.uk/aa/index.cfm/about-us/achievements/#initiatives Accessed 30/10/2010

Media Smarts relationships with the food, drink, advertising and media industries

• Views on tackling obesity

Notes

The Organisation

The office address is given as:-
Abford House:
15 Wilton Road:
London:

SW1V 1NJ