The Study on Media & Diversity publication ‘Media4Diversity – Taking the Pulse of Diversity in the Media’ is now available. The Study on Media & Diversity has identified over 150 initiatives by, or about, the media that counter discrimination and promote diversity, across Europe. From the 150, 30 selected examples have been included in the final publication together with analysis and recommendations for future action based on the research. The study was conducted by the Media Diversity Institute, Internews Europe and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and commissioned by the European Commission.
Aidan White, General Secretary of the IFJ commented, “In times of trouble, tolerance can be at a premium, which is why diversity in media content and practice is a crucial factor in fostering social cohesion and preventing conflict. The present study illustrates that old fears and bad habits still remain, but much has changed within the industry. Prejudice and bias are being swept out of mainstream journalism. It lurks still, dangerously and with wounding effects, but increasingly on the margins of media, where it is nourished by unscrupulous politics… The International Federation of Journalists, like the Media Diversity Institute and Internews Europe, is proud to put its name to this piece of work, which will make an enormous contribution to the debate about how media play a role in maintaining solidarity, respecting diversity and building unity in the future of Europe.”
In section I of the publication the driving forces affecting social cohesion, the role of the media in both impeding and advancing the diversity agenda are introduced. This section also summarises key examples of policy leadership at the EU level. Section II of the Study presents the objectives and methodology underlying the survey, which led to the selection of initiatives presented in the publication. In Section III, the selection of the initiatives is classified under their main area of focus (i.e. the area of activity they want to strengthen, improve or develop): journalism, production, employment, training, partnerships and organisation. An analysis of the gaps in the media and diversity arena that the Study has discovered, a report on the Prague seminar, and recommendations based on the survey results, and validated in Prague, are presented in Section IV. The outcomes, the conclusion and analysis are presented in Section V.
The first of four main recommendations in the Study calls for all actors to see the new opportunity in a diverse environment, and to recognize that a more balanced and faithful representation of Europe’s diversity will reap a dividend of greater social cohesion and security, public trust in the media, but also new avenues for income through journalism and production that has greater resonance with its audience. The second recommendation stresses the need to “step up the dialogue”, i.e. to encourage and participate in balanced, inclusive national and European dialogues, platforms for reflection, debate, cooperation and partnerships between policymakers, civil society organizations and media organizations on the role of media in promoting diversity and combating discrimination in order to identify emerging opportunities and exchange best practices. The third calls for comprehensiveness and equal recognition of all areas of discrimination. The need for appropriate tools for setting aims, but also measuring outcomes is the forth recommendation for all partners in the social process.
