Questions
- What are the three dimensions of media pluralism discussed throughout this Knowledge Package? What do they entail and how do they relate to one another? Which European legal or policy standards seek to safeguard or promote each of these dimensions of media pluralism?
- Online platforms have increasingly become the gateway to news and media content. How does this development affect media pluralism? Reflect on and discuss two ways how European media pluralism policy could address the challenges raised by this development.
- What are the four dynamics of media capture and how does each of them impact media pluralism?
- Why is media pluralism particularly relevant for minorities? Reflect on and describe two ways to ensure that the media environment effectively caters for the informational needs of minorities.
Exercises
1. Monitoring challenges to media pluralism
The Media Pluralism Monitor, the Digital News Report and Reporters Without Borders all compile annual country studies on challenges national media environments face. Many of their findings also reflect the state of media pluralism in various countries. This group exercise invites you to dig deeper into these country reports and reflect on them through the lens of the knowledge on media pluralism you have gained in this knowledge package. Exercise 1/A requires the group to assess reports of various countries, while exercise 1/B invites the group to examine the same country reports from various stakeholder perspectives.
1/A Media pluralism country reporters
Divide into smaller sub-groups. Each sub-group is assigned a European country. You are invited to read the latest report for your assigned country of the Media Pluralism Monitor, the Digital News Report and the Reporters Without Borders ranking. After reading these reports:
- Discuss within your sub-group the main findings of each report
- Identify five key findings relating to media pluralism for the assigned country across the reports
- Prepare a short presentation describing these five key findings
- In your presentation, reflect on how these key findings relate to concepts and challenges explored during this knowledge package, including external/internal pluralism and exposure diversity, media capture, ownership concentration, state financing, public service media, minority representation
- After all sub-group presentations, discuss with the whole group what the three priorities for European media pluralism policy should be in the light of the key findings and challenges identified across the sub-group presentations
1/B Media pluralism stakeholder discussion
Divide into smaller sub-group. Each sub-group is assigned one of the following stakeholders:
- National government
- National media regulatory authority
- Public service media
- A national minority group
- A civil society organisation advocating for press freedom
Each sub-group reads the latest Media Pluralism Monitor, Digital News Report and Reporters Without Borders country studies of the same country. After reading the reports:
- Discuss within your sub-group the main findings relating to media pluralism across the reports
- Identify the three key challenges to media pluralism from the perspective of your assigned stakeholder
- Prepare a short presentation describing these three key challenges, and proposing three regulatory or policy reforms to address these challenges
- In your presentation, reflect on how the challenges you identified relate to concepts explored during this knowledge package, such as external/internal pluralism and exposure diversity
- After all sub-group presentations, discuss with the whole group what the three priorities for improving media pluralism in the country should be in the light of the key challenges and proposals presented by the sub-groups
2. Media pluralism and national minorities
The particular relevance of media pluralism for national minorities has been a recurring theme in this knowledge package. As you may see on the infographic, the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) is among the most relevant European treaties in this field. Articles 6 and 9 are particularly relevant from the perspective of freedom of expression and media pluralism. Every 5 years, the Advisory Committee of the FCNM monitors how state parties to the FCNM comply with the principles laid down in the FCNM.
This exercise invites you to:
- Read Articles 6 and 9 of the FCNM.
- Read the latest opinion of the Advisory Committee of the FCNM regarding your country, especially the findings and recommendations in respect of the implementation and execution of Articles 6 and 9 of the FCNM. You may access the monitoring documents here.
- Write a short analysis (approx. 300 words) of the Advisory Committee’s two most relevant findings or recommendations on Articles 6 and 9.