Media4Diversity

Surveying the media and diversity landscape in Europe
Context and Issue: 

Diversity is both a reality and a necessity in European societies. Thirty four per cent of Europeans think that media has an important role to play in combating discrimination. At a time when media, along with political and financial institutions, shares a crisis of trust and credibility in the eyes of the public, the study on media and diversity aims to provide inspiration on how the media sector, civil society organisations and policy makers can help strengthen the very fabric of our diverse societies. Internews Europe and its partners collaborated to provide a structured mapping of the most significant and innovative media diversity initiatives taken by or about media, to promote diversity and combat discrimination based on the grounds foreseen under Article 13 of the Treaty of the European Union. They surveyed the media landscape in order to identify media-related initiatives. The objective was to uncover and promote initiatives that play a positive role not only in contributing to social cohesion, conflict prevention and the transformation of the representation of groups facing discrimination, but also in hardwiring effective practices into media management processes.

Project's activities: 

Internews Europe, together with its partners and a group of experts, surveyed the 30 European Economic Area countries and processed the data fromt the study into a selection and evaluation of the most significant and innovative media diversity initiatives in the last five years. The survey covered TV, radio, print and online media and their efforts to combat discrimination based on national, racial and ethnic origin, religion and belief, young or older age, disability, sexual orientation and, particularly, the gender dimension of any of these grounds, in promoting diversity. A seminar, held in Prague on the 5-6 February 2009, brought together 90 participants from among media, civil society organisations and policy-makers to discuss the study’s findings and draft recommendations. A website, www.media4diversity.eu, which served as a platform to distribute the online survey, now hosts the study’s results and is designed to serve in the future as a platform for networking between stakeholders. Ultimately, Internews Europe published "Media4Diversity - Taking the Pulse of Diversity in the Media", highlighting 30 initiatives and providing recommendations to media, civil society organisations and policy-makers.

Participants and Beneficiaries: 

The Media4Diversity study's results are benefiting all stakeholders in the media and diversity arena: media, civil society organisations and policy-makers. It benefits each level as well as different departments of the organisations, and all minority groups covered by the study, too.

Outcomes: 

In surveying the media and diversity landscape across Europe, the project team identified not only valuable initiatives that had resulted in a certain impact but also crucial gaps that needed to be addressed. These gaps were uncovered at length in Prague in the course of workshops and, together with the good practices identified, served as a basis to draft the total of 39 recommendations to all stakeholders included in the final publication. The Prague Seminar has proven to be a successful event and a useful exercise acclaimed by all participants for its networking values. The production of the publication and its 39 recommendations is aimed at working with the media sector to change the attitudes of Europeans towards diversity, and towards individuals or groups who are currently discriminated against because of their ethnicity, sex, religious beliefs, age or sexual orientation. The survey has been widely distributed across Europe and is available to download.

"There are, surprisingly enough, reasons to be cheerful about our media in Europe. Some of them are to be found in the pages of the Media4Diversity publication, which reveals that the struggle for diversity and respect for equality is not lost. Far from it, the examples of innovation, originality and commitment shown in some of the initiatives outlined here are inspirational and a tribute to the fact that within media and civil society there have been changes that are beginning to make a difference to the way media report and reflect the increasingly diverse European landscape."
Aidan White, General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists
"Whether we are policy makers, media professionals or simply citizens, each and every one of us are both accountable persons and actors in the society in which we live. The representation of diversity therefore concerns everyone! Every one of us, at some point in our lives, is likely to be - or to become - a minority or a vulnerable member of society: whether due to our gender or sexual orientation, our ethnic or national origin, our religion or philosophical convictions or because of intellectual or physical disability."
Viviane Reding, Commissioner for Information Society and Media

PROJECT NEWS

 
2009.02.10
> Media4Diversity

Media Seminar in Prague Pushed for “Living Reality of Diversity” in European Media

On 5 & 6 February 2009 almost 100 representatives from the European media, policy makers, experts and activists campaigning for the elimination of discrimination in Europe, met in Prague and agreed a package of measures to encourage more diversity in the media across the member states of the European Union & EFTA.
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Europe, Governance And Human Rights, Media And Society, Media Production, Research And Advocacy, Support To Journalists
 
 
2008.06.03
> Media4Diversity

Launch of Media Diversity Website

As Part of Study on Media and Diversity in the EU Countries…In order to help deal with the challenge of diversity in our societies and counter discrimination in the media, the European Commission has commissioned this study on Media and Diversity. Its objective is to assist in the process of promoting diversity and fighting discrimination in the media on a pan-European level.
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Europe, Governance And Human Rights, Media And Society, Media Production, Research And Advocacy, Support To Journalists
 

PHOTOS

  • Media4Diversity, Prague Seminar

PUBLICATIONS

Media4Diversity

Author: 
Internews Europe
Date of publication:
2010.05.07

The publication Media4diversity, published in 2009, was commissioned by the European Union to identify the most significant and/or innovative initiatives taken by or about the media to combat discrimination and/or to promote diversity.

The study is the result of a one-year survey and joint work by the European Commission, the Media Diversity institute, the International Federation of Journalists and Internews Europe

Background of the study:

The powerful influence of the media on our societies is well-known - it shapes our views and our behaviour.  The truth unfortu...

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