INNOVATION & POLICY FOR A HEALTHY MEDIA SECTOR
The EU and media stakeholders have key roles to play in ensuring a balanced and healthy media ecosystem: regulating social media platforms, safeguarding media freedom and media pluralism, and supporting news media’s digital transformation. Contracted by the EU Commission‘s DG CONNECT, Europe’s MediaLab as initiator and its consortium leader IDATE DigiWorld – plus three consultants – carried out a feasibility study for the European digital distribution of curated content, especially news, information of public interest and quality media content. More information here.
We are supporting an integrated strategy for Europe’s media sector, promoting three key concepts across initiatives: Systemic Publishing Platforms, co-regulation and Trust Indicators – read more here.
As the EU moves from self-regulation of platforms to co-regulation, ‘regulatory guidance’ is also required for ensuring prominence to trustworthy news sources, under both the legislative processes of Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, and the Media and Democracy Action Plans. Transparency and scrutiny over algorithmic content selection are needed. Indicators of trustworthiness could be one way to address the issue, as explained in this Opinion by Christophe Leclercq, Marc Sundermann and Paolo Cesarini.
Bundling scattered media-related projects under “NEWS” could sustain the media sector’s transformation: “Media recovery beyond regulation: a NEWS bundle across Creative Europe and Horizon, like MEDIA”.
In March 2020, we initiated an Open Letter co-signed by 28 MEPs and media stakeholders, calling on the European Commission to support a “Coronavirus Media Action Plan”: Health, trust and journalism: a Coronavirus Plan for the Media.
Connecting media policy and innovation projects, the Media4Europe event series is bridging policy makers, media leaders, media professionals and tech experts. It aims at discussing how to accelerate innovation in the news media, and propose solutions to support media pluralism and sustain the financial sustainability of Europe’s news media.
Read the article on this event “EU media sector needs a Marshall Plan, experts say” and watch the highlights video
> Networking event for MEPs – June 2019
In cooperation with EU40 and Frank Schwalba-Hoth, we organised a networking event for MEPs: #MEDIA4DEMOCRACY at the European Parliament (programme). The aim of this event was to raise awareness on the central strategic role media policy will play in the European Parliament.
OUR OP-EDS
-Press Freedom and Europe: Wolves, vultures, trolls… plus knights and journalists (15/05/20)
-Cooperation of four key Commissioners needed for healthy media, democracy 19/09/19
-Health, trust and journalism: a Coronavirus Plan for the Media 25/03/20
-MEPs: Demand VP Democracy, after Spitzenkandidaten setback 8/09/21
-Media recovery beyond regulation: a NEWS bundle across Creative Europe and Horizon, like MEDIA 19/10/20
-EU coalition and futureproof media: Europe needs a VP for Democracy
-After the copyright win, what strategy for Europe’s media sector?
-Avoid censorship, dilute fake with quality news (2 march 2018 updated 2019)
-Christophe Leclercq in Brazil before Presidential elections: “Avoid censorship, dilute fake with quality news” 5 July 2018
OPEN LETTERS
-Health, trust and journalism: a Coronavirus plan for the media
-Democracy and Digital: trusted media and platform regulation 5/12/19
-Beyond fake news: Strategic options for media ahead of EU elections (FR) 7/12/18
-Beyond Brussels policies: leadership for Europe’s News Media sector 11/03/21
-EU coalition and futureproof media: Europe needs a VP for Democracy 26/05/19
Media4Democracy
> Policy Forum – June 2019
The policy conference ”Media4Democracy: A ‘VP Democracy’ for Sound Platforms & Independent Media” involved 10 speakers representing the EU institutions, the media sector, as well as associations and think-tanks (programme) and gathered policy makers, EU institutions, civil society and media stakeholders. The #Media4Democracy events were supported by EU40, EFJ, Civico Europa, EMMA, News Media Europe, Re-Imagine Europa and were sponsored by Equinor.