Abstract:

The research subject is media literacy through theoretical studying of five central concepts and five key questions of media literacy and through empirical research of the concepts by the analysis of the level of media literacy of students of first or final years of studying in three analysed study programs in the area of media at the faculties in Novi Sad.
The research problem comes to the following research questions: To what extent do students of first and final years of study, at three analyzed study programs in the area of media at the universities in Novi Sad know and implement five central concepts and five key questions of media literacy and to what extent are the students of final years of study, at three analyzed study programs in the area of media at the universities in Novi Sad more literate than the students of first year at those faculties?
The total number of respondents, male and female students in the field of media at the faculties in Novi Sad, was 153, of which 104 were female respondents and 49 male respondents. Included are all male and female students who in school year 2011/2012 attended classes at the courses Journalism (Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad), Production of audio-visual media and Multimedia Directing (at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad), and Media Management (Faculty of Management-F@M in Sremski
The tested students and female students of media of the first (second) and final year of study from the analyzed faculties in Novi Sad and Sremski know the principles of media literacy, but not to the extent that they could correctly apply them. This research shows that media literacy rules among surveyed students of media at the analyzed faculties, which can be interpreted as the beginning of the development of media literacy in our country. The respondents far better know and apply the principles of media in relation to the rest of the population in our country, but that knowledge will not be enough to avoid manipulation of the (multi) media messages in a new age, an age of media literacy.
The most numerous part of our research corps, the male and female students of Journalism from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad are progressing well on paths of media literacy, media, and learn about their nature, but are directed toward journalism, and to what will be important for the continuation of life on the job - in the profession.
The tested students of the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, are the lowest profiled part of the respondents in our research corpus. They are focused on only one area - the area of multimedia productions, even those whose profession requires the broadest picture of the (multi-) media. It is obvious that this group of students is the most oriented to specific tasks and techniques, which aim to audio-visual design (the product of the entertainment industry), rather than facing the media in general, and thus the aspects of media literacy that we examined.
It is obvious that male and female students from the Faculty of Management - F@M in Sremski Karlovci have the widest and most comprehensive picture of the media. In relation to others from the research corpus, they are the most active and the most questioning consumers of media content from all three groups of students.

Keywords:

Media, Media Literacy, Media education, Communication.