The State of Media Literacy: A Response to Potter

Abstract Potter's essay on the state of media literacy purports to represent the current state of the field, but omits much of the innovative work that has emerged in the last 10 years from scholars across the fields of communication, education, and public health. The review does not include mention of the development of numerous media literacy education initiatives by educational practitioners working in both formal and in informal education. By conceptualizing media literacy as a response to counteract the negative effects of mass media and popular culture, Potter fails to capture the depth and complexity of the field.