Almost every teacher says it matters. Almost none teach it every week.

How big is the gap? It depends where you draw the line.

Nearly all teachers raise the topic at some point. Raise the bar to “monthly” or “weekly” and watch what's left. Pick a topic, then click a country to see how often teachers really bring it up.

Survey of teachers who hosted a Lie Detectors visit, Feb–Jul 2022. Base: 177 (AT) / 90 (BE) / 114 (CH) / 284 (DE) teachers; Luxembourg (2) and UK (1) included in the total only. “Important” = 4 or 5 stars on a 5-star scale.

Covid put it on the agenda. Not in the timetable.

Before the pandemic, fewer than half of teachers had ever raised media literacy with their class. By 2022 almost all of them had. But ask how often, and the gap is back, and wider than ever.

The questions changed over the years, so read this as a direction, not an exact trend. Pre-Covid, “aware” meant teachers had heard from school authorities or elsewhere that media literacy should be taught (n=523), and “raised” meant they had discussed it before the journalist's visit (n=508). In the Covid era, teachers rated it an important subject (n=74) and said whether they had discussed it before (n=37 + 74). In 2022 the questions were about disinformation specifically (n=663–665). Sources: Lie Detectors data briefing 2021 and data report 2022.

Picture a class of 25.

Pupils feel the same gap. Switch between what they want and what they actually get at school.

A journalist in the room turns “important” into practice.

Teachers tell us what holds them back: no time, no training, no materials. A free visit from a working journalist takes all three off their plate, and gives them a reason to keep going.

“They tell us to teach media literacy – but they don't give us the time and space. Nor are we taught how to go about it.”Teacher, Cologne · Lie Detectors data report 2019