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Online/More Colour in the Media:
THE MULTICULTURAL SKYSCRAPER NEWSLETTER
Vol. 2 No. 3. Wednesday, October 29, 2003
http://www.multicultural.net

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European Manifesto home page
In this newsletter:
  • Minority Community Media: A "European Manifesto" and a Transnational Network of National Platforms 
  • Update on the European Day of Media Monitoring
  • Call for nominations: Case Studies for the 2004 Innoversity Creative Summit

The highlighted topic of this issue is the "European Manifesto to support and to underline the importance of minority community media". But below you will also find a brief update on the European Day of Media Monitoring project. At the very end you will find an announcement from our colleagues at Innoversity.

Additional notes and announcements on related news and events can be attached to each newsletter. Do contact us if you have any suggestions: jobeek@miramedia.nl.

  • MINORITY COMMUNITY MEDIA: A "EUROPEAN MANIFESTO" AND A TRANSNATIONAL NETWORK OF NATIONAL PLATFORMS [TO BE]

    Background

    Throughout Europe there are thousands of media initiatives run by people from migrant or refugee communities and media initiatives that are multicultural or multilingual. Some of these initiatives have their own (local) radio or tv station, website, magazine, newspaper whilst other initiatives managed to get some broadcasting time for their programmes in mainstream stations or are part of community media centres. Although every country in Europe provides a different context in which these media try to operate, the problems they face are very similar. They all often face difficulties getting recognition for the important 'bridge function' they have in their societies, as platforms for dialogue amongst and between different groups and towards mainstream society. They are aware that many conventions, treaties, charters, declarations and acts have been signed by European countries that give them certain rights, but observe how these are not acknowledged in practice yet.

    At a workshop in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2001, Online/More Colour in the Media first brought together a number of organisations that function as a national platform of such media initiatives in their country, or strive to do so. As the media initiatives in question are diverse and involve wide-ranging groups of people and (diasporic) communities, a long discussion took place about finding a terminology that would be inclusive to all, until 'minority community media' was settled upon. Over time, these organisations have established a transnational network and launched the initiative to draft a European Manifesto, to support minority community media and call for a greater recognition of their importance. 

    European Manifesto

    In order to improve their situation, minority community media decided to join forces and launch a concerted effort on the European level to call attention to their situation and appeal for support and measures that would improve it. To do so a European Manifesto was drafted, which has been discussed and approved by media initiatives in twelve participating EU member states. The Manifesto calls for recognition of the role minority community media play in Europe. It demands a public service status for minority media, and for an independent, equal and full access to national and local broadcast facilities and available frequencies. The Manifesto will be presented during the European elections in 2004 to the President of the European Parliament

    The European Manifesto is now available as a draft document in eleven languages: English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish. A final version will be adopted in the 3rd week of November 2003.

    From November onwards a start will be made with the petition to sign the document (see below for more information: the next steps & how to participate)

    Transnational network of national platforms [to be] of minority community media

    At the 2001 Aarhus workshop, representatives from (local) minority media from Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK discussed the situation of minority community media in Europe, and first proposed the idea to write a European Manifesto and establish a transnational network of national platforms [to be]. After two more follow-up workshops, in London (at the 2002 LSE/OLMCM symposium Minority Media in Europe: A Revolution from below?) and Aarhus (at the 2003 NORDSAM Multicultural Media in Scandinavia seminar), the transnational network now includes representatives from twelve European member states. These representatives have taken up the role of national co-ordinator.

    The network plays a crucial role in developing the manifesto and preparing its implementation through its activities. The national organisations each constitute or facilitate a national platform that brings these (local) media initiatives together, or are currently working towards the establishment of such a platform, which will enable them to join efforts in calling for steps to improve their national situation. The national co-ordinators in the network have put the manifesto on the agenda of meetings and conferences to gather input on its content. They will try to get as many organisations and initiatives as possible to sign the petition of the European Manifesto prior to presenting it to the President of the European Parliament in 2004.

    If you are interested to join efforts, please get directly in touch with one of the national co-ordinators.

    If your country is not yet involved and you are interested to join efforts, please contact Online/More Colour in the Media at esther.lubenau@olmcm.org, tel: 0031 30 2399035, fax: 0031 30 2302975, snail mail: PO Box 672, 
    3500 AR Utrecht, The Netherlands. 

    The next steps & How to participate

    Your contributions are valuable to us! What could you do?

    • Feedback on document
      Until the 12 November it is possible to send in feedback on the content and language use of the European Manifesto. Address your feedback to the On Line/More Colour in the Media (OL/MCM) office if it concerns the English or Portuguese version and to the respective national co-ordinators if it concerns any of the (other) languages. A final version of the manifesto will be adopted in the third week of November.
    • Reports & other available information
      If you know of reports, researches and other relevant documents (in any language), we would be very thankful for receiving the title and authors' name and country, and if possible, a digital version or hard copy. This kind of documentation will be included in the appendixes of the European Manifesto.
    • Do you know of 'examples of good practice'?
      Many minority community media initiatives effected a positive change in their neighbourhoods or on local, regional or national level. Let us know if you have a good example to share: we will use descriptions of such  examples to strengthen our case. You can send this kind of information to the OL/MCM office and will than be forwarded to the national co-ordinators.
    • Spread the word 
      If you know people, organisations or initiatives you believe should know about the European Manifesto and the transnational network of national platforms, please inform them and forward this newsletter. If you are interested in making an item on the European Manifesto for your programme, magazine or website, we would appreciate it if you would let us know and we will help you any way we can.
    • Offer translations in other languages
      We have been asked if it is possible to have translations of the manifesto in other than the eleven languages available now, such as in Roma, Sinti, Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, Norwegian, Somali, Hindi or Urdu, to name a few. We welcome the idea, but are unfortunately not able to do so at the OL/MCM office. If you want to offer to do so, please let us know!
    • Petition to sign the document 
      From November onwards a start will be made with the petition to sign the manifesto. You can choose to sign the manifesto as an individual or as an organisation. If you sign as an organisation, please note that only directors, presidents or an equivalent to are entitled to do so. Inform the national co-ordinators if you are interested in helping to disseminate or promote the petition. If your country has no national co-ordinator yet, please contact the OL/MCM office.

     
  • EUROPEAN DAY OF MEDIA MONITORING

    The pilot European Day of Media Monitoring is proposed as the first of a yearly international event, in which migrant and refugee organisations from across Europe monitor the media output of one day, and use the results to establish a dialogue with journalists on their media's representation of minority groups. It was highlighted in the previous issue of the newsletter. You can find further information on the project in a newly published leaflet, available on this site in nine languages:

    THE EUROPEAN DAY OF MEDIA MONITORING: 
    Media and minorities - from exclusion to active participation

    The main developments since the publication of the June 6 newsletter have included the following:

    • The 15 National Focal Points of the RAXEN network of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), which will take up a quantitative monitoring exercise on the media output of 13 November, have implemented a pre-test of the methodology. They tried the coding sheets out on TV and newspaper items of June 12, selecting only domestic and EU-related news.
    • Jessika ter Wal of Ercomer has done a "test-analysis" of the results, which confirmed that the November results might well yield some potent messages about the representation of diversity in the media. The coding sheets have subsequently been revised on the basis of this analysis and the National Focal Points will participate in a 6-7 November training to familiarise themselves with the new methodology.
    • The NGO's from the OL/MCM Empowerment network, which will take part in additional qualitative monitoring activities in November and will organise public events and activities on media and diversity around 21 March, 2004, came together last July to fine-tune plans and activities. Activities are now foreseen in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Italy, Spain and Greece. The project's steering group, which includes representatives of OL/MCM, EUMC, ENAR, Cospe and the University of Bradford, came together in August to evaluate the project's progress.
    • The above-linked flyer was produced and translated in the languages of the EU. Use it and spread the word - take part in the European Day of Media Monitoring events! Use the added value of a Europe-wide action to enter into a dialogue with journalists in your country, call public and political attention to the issue of media representations of diversity, highlight your own activities on minorities and the media or to share and exchange successful methods and strategies, contacts and resources with other NGO's in a European empowerment network.

     
  • RELATED EVENTS AND DEVELOPMENTS

    Call for nominations: Case Studies for the 2004 Innoversity Creative Summit

    The Canadian innitiative "Innoversity" is eager to include case studies from Europe in its 2004 "Innoversity Creative Summit". Information on the call for nominations can be found on its homepage at www.innoversity.com, in the news section. Deadline for nominations: 15 November 2003. 

    "Here's your chance to nominate a candidate for an Innoversity Case Study. Nominate your own company / organization or one that you know about. 

    Case studies may examine these themes: 

    - Hiring, training and retaining diverse talent (succession planning to move diversity from entry levels to critical decision-making roles/the executive suite) 
    - Managing diverse teams (for example, in print/broadcast content production, news, etc.) 
    - Building community/cross-sector partnerships that support and encourage inclusion 
    - Marketing to a diverse audience/customer base 
    - Increasing diversity in content/products/services 
    - Creating a welcoming, inclusive work environment 

    Innoversity Case Studies showcase new, innovative and highly effective responses to the challenges of harnessing and managing social and cultural diversity. The presentations dissect particular initiatives. They are master classes that expose executives to "best practices" and explore the reactions, perspectives and experiences of the presenters and their peers. 

    The Innoversity Creative Summit is both a showcase and marketplace for ideas, innovation and talent. The annual two-day summit, held in May, attracts media executives and professionals of all kinds as well as regulators, funders, independent creative professionals from diverse backgrounds and community representatives. Innoversity presents case studies as a core component of the content of the summit."

Online/More Colour in the Media and its projects are financially supported by the European Commission Community Action Program to Combat Discrimination. EC