CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Media and New Communication Services - Towards a new notion of media?

Reykjavik (Iceland), 28 – 29 May 2009

Speech by Véronique Moreira, Vice-President of the Congress Committee on Culture and Education

Sub-theme 3: Relations of the (new) media with the individual and with the community(ies)

Dear Chair,

Ministers,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We all have gathered here in Reykjavik to participate in a Council of Europe Ministerial Conference which aims – for the first time - at exploring a “new notion of media”. The media landscape has changed fundamentally in recent years. Since the early 1990s a new generation of communications technology has evolved which is ignoring borders, barriers and distances. The internet is emblematic for this technological development, enabling millions upon millions of users to share information along multiple channels. It led to the belief that the whole world is connected by global media. – And so, the era of “global communications” has been proclaimed by many scholars, politicians and parts of the civil society.

In the context of discussions about transnationally or globally operating media, such as internet or television industries, you might be interested in the specific role of the Congress of Local and Regional authorities, the European body which I am representing today and which stands for territorial, rather than global interests, for grassroots democracy instead of imperialistic ideas – for, if you want, “small is beautiful” instead of “the bigger the better”.

Globalisation as a trend of development and change in our societies has been generally recognised. It is also an accepted fact that media play a key role in this process. Whereas - whether it brings a unified, homogeneous and global culture - this remains an issue between scholars of different branches. To some, globalisation simply means the transfer of ideas and culture in a one-way unilinear manner from the developed west to the undeveloped world. Others might suggest that the flow of ideas occurs in multiple directions, resulting in less homogenisation and more diversification of ideas and lifestyles.

Whatever theory we adhere to – this is the moment where the notion of localisation comes into play. Just as we can observe globalisation and political decentralisation in parallel, we can speak of the concurrent phenomena of media globalisation and media localisation. I would even call it a re-localisation of our social and cultural environment.

The Council of Europe Congress has always stressed the media’s cultural quality and their specific role for the fostering of understanding and co-operation beyond borders. The consumption of cultural products differs fundamentally from the purchase of toothpaste or washing powder. Cultural products do not operate on economic forces alone. They reflect the values of their producers and the social reality of the individuals and communities.

Today, the situation for small independent media companies is the same throughout Europe: they are facing difficult market conditions through changing consumer behaviour, new technologies and a lack of financial resources due to the economic crisis and the recession. What can we do to safeguard local newspapers, radio stations and TV services which are important to the vitality of local communities and crucial for the functioning and the development of local democracy?

The broad range of issues affecting the development of local and regional media includes cross-media-partnerships. In this respect, there are discussions under way in several Council of Europe member states over changes to the regulatory framework. It has to be said that the rules governing cross-media ownership and merger regulations differ considerably between European states (there are comprehensive bodies of legislation in some countries – there are media markets characterised by the total absence of restrictions in others). Whether we agree or disagree to competition laws depends on many factors – on the historical background and on national specificities. The crucial question in this respect is how to fight closures of small media companies and maintain – at the same time – quality journalism, freedom of expression, media pluralism and diversity. In other words – to defend locality and boost plurality.

Finally, when discussing about possible solutions for the future of local and regional media, we should look closer at innovative models – which constitute a combination between traditional mass media and new social media.

An interesting experiment coming from the United States, are the so-called placeblogs. Placeblogs are a new form of reporting, a contribution to “participatory journalism” or “citizen media”. Newsgathering and editing is moved out of the newsrooms and brought into communities where readers can generate content and commentary. The New York Times recently started two placeblogs in different parts of the city, producing hyperlocal news and commentary. The aim of this project – which is financially based on ad sales to local retailers - is to try out an innovative co-operation model between traditional quality media and citizen journalists.

Time will tell whether placeblogs will succeed as an antidote or a complement to the mainstream media. Already today we can say that they generate a refreshing sort of “counter-public” from the bottom-up perspective.

From the perspective of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, this could be an interesting possibility for municipalities in Europe to make their voices better heard.

Futurologists predict that societies will be characterised by inclusiveness rather than by exclusiveness. Societies will face generalisation AND individualisation, acceleration AND deceleration, globalisation AND localisation in respect of  politics, economy, culture and the media. It is possible that democratic institutions in Europe will regain strength and new vitality from this paradoxical and contradictory situation.