Higher media diversity through independent pools of journalists - Media Programme Southeast Europe
Event Reports
These topics were discussed by journalists, lawyers, media and legal experts from Germany and Eastern Europe. They came together at the invitation of the European University Viadrina and the German Society for Eastern European Studies (DGO). Chairperson of the conference was Prof. Dr. Johannes Weberling, Head of the Department of Media Law at the European University Viadrina. The KAS Media Program South East Europe was a participating partner of the conference, held from 27th to 29th January in Frankfurt (Oder). Christian Spahr, Head of the KAS Media Program South East Europe, spoke on the state of media freedom in European transition countries during the first panel ("Toothless Watchdog: How the media crisis is violating democracy in Southeast Europe").
Cooperatives as a christian and liberal concept were discussed in their historical and social significance. According to the participants, the ideas behind German cooperatives, initially developed by Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch and Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen in the 19th century, is nowadays still relevant. Economic and legal requirements were also actively debated. Participants from several European countries agreed that the conditions for founding cooperatives are very different in every country. However, the basic idea of media cooperatives could find an application in media start-ups in Eastern and South Eastern Europe. Such independent organisations in the region have been established mainly by investigative journalists.
During the following 8th meeting of the "Article 10 ECHR" Task Force, more than ten experts presented the current media situation in the countries of Eastern and South East Europe. The attention was repeatedly drawn to the increasing problems in the media sector. Obscure media ownership, monopolisation of distribution, external pressure and internal censorship, but also increasing conformism among the journalists were mentioned. Subsequently, the working group formulated several recommendations for the establishment and sustainable development of media organisations. Those recommendations were among others: state independence, self-responsibility and self-determination. The recommendations will be specified in the up-coming months.
The KAS Media Program South East Europe is involved in further cooperation. Together with the "Article 10 of the ECHR" Task Force, it has developed different recommendations and guidelines on various topics, among others, the establishment of press councils and the role of media in coming to terms with the past.
