Media and democracy - the way forward, Brussels - Main contents
| date | March 20, 2020 |
|---|---|
| city | Brussels, Belgium |
| location | Rue des Tanneurs 60A, 1000, Bruxelles  |
| attending | V. (Vĕra) Jourová i et al. |
Due to the current coronavirus situation, the conference cannot take place as initially foreseen.During this event, the preliminary findings of the 2020 Media Pluralism Monitor will be presented and discussed. The Monitor is a scientific tool assessing risks to media pluralism in Europe. It is developed by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) of the European University Institute and co-funded by the EU.
The 2020 Media Pluralism Monitor is based on a comprehensive set of data clustered around four areas: basic protection, market plurality, political independence and social inclusiveness. This year’s Monitor is more digital than ever, looking into issues such as online advertising, online hate speech, algorithmic transparency, media and information literacy.
Beyond assessing the situation, this event will aim at discussing possible action and initiatives to be taken at EU level. Ultimately, the outcome of these discussions will feed into upcoming plans, starting with the European Democracy Action Plan that the European Commission will adopt by the end of the year.
The event is organised by the European Commission, in cooperation with the CMPF.
Please note: due to the current coronavirus situation, the conference cannot take place as initially foreseen.
Outline of the programme
(full programme with speakers will be published in the coming days)
Sessions are organised along the four main areas of the Monitor. Each session will include keynote speeches and/or testimonials, a presentation of the preliminary findings of the Monitor by the CMPF, a panel and exchanges with the audience.
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-08:30-09:00: Registration
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-09:00-09:20: Opening by European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova, representatives of the European Parliament and of the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
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-09:20-09:30: Keynote speech - setting the scene
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-09:30-10:45: Protecting journalists and freedom of expression
This session will discuss measures to be taken to better protect journalists against all types of threats, ranging from physical attacks and hate speech to legal threats, namely defamation cases.
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-10:45-11:15: Coffee break
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-11:15-12:30: Free and independent media as watchdog of democracy
This session will look into safeguards against political bias and political control over media outlets. It will also discuss self-regulation in ensuring editorial independence, and which action can be undertaken in this area.
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-12:30-13:30: Lunch break
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-13:30-14:45: The digital transformation of the media sector
This session will focus on transparency and the concentration of media ownership, commercial and owners’ influence over editorial content, and the economic conditions in which the media operate (media viability). More specifically, this session will look into the relationship between professional media and online platforms, online advertising and new business models. How can the EU further act in this area to contribute to the successful transformation of the media sector?
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-14:45-15:15: coffee break
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-15:15-16:30: Media literacy and access to media for all
This session will look into how women, minorities, local and regional communities, people with disabilities are represented in the media sector and have access to media. The Monitor considers media literacy as a precondition for using media effectively. How are the EU and its Member States doing in this area and how can the situation be improved?
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-16:30-16:45: Closing and next steps
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