In December EAVI together with the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom held the Democracy, Journalism and Literacy event at the European Parliament. The event was hosted by MEPs Barbara Spinelli and Curzio Maltese. The event focused on the dangers posed to media pluralism presented by new media and the threat to democracy this creates, as well as the role of media literacy and other initiatives to combat this.
Barbara Spinelli opened the discussions by sharing her observations of media freedom – namely the level of self-censorship among journalists, protections afforded to whistleblowers, and the new economic environment under which mainstream media now operates.
Damian Tambini from the London School of Economics (LSE) asserted that “fake news” is not the only problem for journalism and democracy; rather than private individuals now dictate public opinion. News curation sites, including search engines, now impact editorial process. New platforms, including social media, should inform a change in approach to ensuring media freedom and media pluralism.
EAVI’s Paolo Celot argued that the role of media literacy has been consistently understated in discussions about media pluralism and media freedom. In this regard, Paolo presented EAVI’s MyStory project funded by Europe for Citizens programme. He told the attendees that individuals themselves should be aware of their media consumption in the same way that they are aware of what they eat. If citizens are not able to seek out responsible journalism and media, they are more likely to fall foul of private interest groups. EU should give voice and support more civil society organisations.
Director of the European Federation of Journalists, Renate Schroeder, argued that the role of journalists is more important than ever in order to rebalance public opinion and debate. With the independence of journalism in decline and new business models, though still the exception rather than the norm, are emerging, therefore regulatory changes should be more flexible to include new models, including, for instance, subsidies and citizen-financed platforms to reflect the social value of responsible journalism.
CPMF Director Pier Luigi Barcu presented some findings from the Media Pluralism Monitors 2016 European Study, and explained that the research is being adjusted to account for algorithms, social media, the “bubble” phenomenon and advertising in assessing the impact of media on democracy.
Interventions from the participants were welcome after each keynote speech. The role of fact-checking services was discussed, as well as the generational divide between media users and political leanings, the role of filter-bubbles in the run-up to elections and the difficulties presented to journalists in terms of competing in an increasingly crowded market.
Barbara Spinelli closed the conference by explaining that, although we are some way from finding solutions to these problems, we are closer to understanding the problem itself.
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In December EAVI together with the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom held the Democracy, Journalism and Literacy event at the European Parliament. The event was hosted by MEPs Barbara Spinelli and Curzio Maltese. The event focused on the dangers posed to media pluralism presented by new media and the threat to democracy this creates, as well as the role of media literacy and other initiatives to combat this.
Barbara Spinelli opened the discussions by sharing her observations of media freedom – namely the level of self-censorship among journalists, protections afforded to whistleblowers, and the new economic environment under which mainstream media now operates.
Damian Tambini from the London School of Economics (LSE) asserted that “fake news” is not the only problem for journalism and democracy; rather than private individuals now dictate public opinion. News curation sites, including search engines, now impact editorial process. New platforms, including social media, should inform a change in approach to ensuring media freedom and media pluralism.
EAVI’s Paolo Celot argued that the role of media literacy has been consistently understated in discussions about media pluralism and media freedom. In this regard, Paolo presented EAVI’s MyStory project funded by Europe for Citizens programme. He told the attendees that individuals themselves should be aware of their media consumption in the same way that they are aware of what they eat. If citizens are not able to seek out responsible journalism and media, they are more likely to fall foul of private interest groups. EU should give voice and support more civil society organisations.
Director of the European Federation of Journalists, Renate Schroeder, argued that the role of journalists is more important than ever in order to rebalance public opinion and debate. With the independence of journalism in decline and new business models, though still the exception rather than the norm, are emerging, therefore regulatory changes should be more flexible to include new models, including, for instance, subsidies and citizen-financed platforms to reflect the social value of responsible journalism.
CPMF Director Pier Luigi Barcu presented some findings from the Media Pluralism Monitors 2016 European Study, and explained that the research is being adjusted to account for algorithms, social media, the “bubble” phenomenon and advertising in assessing the impact of media on democracy.
Interventions from the participants were welcome after each keynote speech. The role of fact-checking services was discussed, as well as the generational divide between media users and political leanings, the role of filter-bubbles in the run-up to elections and the difficulties presented to journalists in terms of competing in an increasingly crowded market.
Barbara Spinelli closed the conference by explaining that, although we are some way from finding solutions to these problems, we are closer to understanding the problem itself.
Related Posts
In December EAVI together with the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom held the Democracy, Journalism and Literacy event at the European Parliament. The event was hosted by MEPs Barbara Spinelli and Curzio Maltese. The event focused on the dangers posed to media pluralism presented by new media and the threat to democracy this creates, as well as the role of media literacy and other initiatives to combat this.
Barbara Spinelli opened the discussions by sharing her observations of media freedom – namely the level of self-censorship among journalists, protections afforded to whistleblowers, and the new economic environment under which mainstream media now operates.
Damian Tambini from the London School of Economics (LSE) asserted that “fake news” is not the only problem for journalism and democracy; rather than private individuals now dictate public opinion. News curation sites, including search engines, now impact editorial process. New platforms, including social media, should inform a change in approach to ensuring media freedom and media pluralism.
EAVI’s Paolo Celot argued that the role of media literacy has been consistently understated in discussions about media pluralism and media freedom. In this regard, Paolo presented EAVI’s MyStory project funded by Europe for Citizens programme. He told the attendees that individuals themselves should be aware of their media consumption in the same way that they are aware of what they eat. If citizens are not able to seek out responsible journalism and media, they are more likely to fall foul of private interest groups. EU should give voice and support more civil society organisations.
Director of the European Federation of Journalists, Renate Schroeder, argued that the role of journalists is more important than ever in order to rebalance public opinion and debate. With the independence of journalism in decline and new business models, though still the exception rather than the norm, are emerging, therefore regulatory changes should be more flexible to include new models, including, for instance, subsidies and citizen-financed platforms to reflect the social value of responsible journalism.
CPMF Director Pier Luigi Barcu presented some findings from the Media Pluralism Monitors 2016 European Study, and explained that the research is being adjusted to account for algorithms, social media, the “bubble” phenomenon and advertising in assessing the impact of media on democracy.
Interventions from the participants were welcome after each keynote speech. The role of fact-checking services was discussed, as well as the generational divide between media users and political leanings, the role of filter-bubbles in the run-up to elections and the difficulties presented to journalists in terms of competing in an increasingly crowded market.
Barbara Spinelli closed the conference by explaining that, although we are some way from finding solutions to these problems, we are closer to understanding the problem itself.
