4.2.1: Critically Examining Information Ecosystems
- Page ID
- 272593
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Information Literacy as a Human Right
In the current information age, both access to information and the ability to evaluate it and use it effectively are necessary to fully function in society.
In order to promote inclusion and eradicate discrimination, librarians and other information workers ensure that the right of accessing information is not denied and that equitable services are provided for everyone whatever their age, citizenship, political belief, physical or mental ability, gender identity, heritage, education, income, immigration and asylum-seeking status, marital status, origin, race, religion or sexual orientation.
-- IFLA Code of Ethics of Librarians and Other Information Workers (Garcia-Febo et al, 2012, p. 3)
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions' IFLA Code of Ethics of Librarians and Other Information Workers articulates the importance of things such as: access to information; organization of information in ways that enable people to find it on their own; the rights of people to access information in their own language; information literacy; ethical use of information; protection of individual privacy; and transparency regarding the workings of information ecosystems (Garcia-Febo et al, 2012).
Scholars emphasize the distinction between the right to access information and the right to information literacy, because access alone does not equip us to navigate complex information ecosystems successfully (Saunders, 2017).
Context Matters
One of the media and information literacy competencies identified by the Observatory on Information and Democracy is "situating the sociocultural context of information and digital content in relation but not exclusive to gender equality dialogue, disinformation, privacy and eradicating hate, discrimination and racism" (Mansell et al, 2025, p. 104).
To critically examine and understand an information ecosystem, we must examine these aspects of the broader society in which that ecosystem exists. Information is created within existing societal power structures that impact the ways that information is published, shared, valued, organized, and accessed. These power structures may distort, suppress, or misrepresent information. They may elevate some voices or perspectives and marginalize others.
For example, in a country without freedom of the press, all of the news media might be run by the government and present only information that is favorable to the government, while suppressing other information. Even in a country with freedom of the press and freedom of speech, the information that is created and made available reflects the sociocultural, economic, and political power structures and biases present in that society.
In Chapter 3 we explored how algorithms reflect and amplify bias. In this chapter we will expand our exploration to examine bias, power, and privilege in other aspects of the information ecosystems we engage with in the United States.
Sources
Image: This store sells banned books to support access by Jon Tyson from Unsplash is in the Public Domain CC0
Garcia-Febo, L., Hustad, A., Rösch, H., Sturges, P. & Vallotton, A. (2012, Aug). IFLA code of ethics of librarians and other information workers (full version).
Mansell, R., Durach, F., Kettemann, M., Lenoir, T., Procter, R., Tripathi, G., & Tucker, E. (2025, Jan). Information ecosystems and troubled democracy: A global synthesis of the state of knowledge on news media, AI and data governance. Observatory on Information and Democracy.
Saunders, L. (2017). Connecting information literacy and social justice: Why and how. Communications in Information Literacy, 11(1), 55-75. doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2017.11.1.47