Specific objectives

1/ Carrying out comparative analysis of media messages put out on international and intercultural relations and on the social, economic and political divides, their dynamics initiate.
An analysis of plural messages on international and intercultural relations and their divisions is prerequisite for any understanding of the way the public perceives the affairs and challenges of today’s world.

2/ To promote and strengthen the role and place of ethnic media as producers and disseminators of expert opinion and innovative, pluralist information on international and intercultural relations by encouraging lasting collaborations and partnerships between ethnic media, community media and mainstream media.
Ethnic media, because they are produced and disseminated in Europe, but are also closely linked to the developing world, are at the junction between North and South. In this sense they could play a crucial role in renewing the analysis of the way public thinks about today’s world, especially regarding issues like development, integration and fight against discrimination, and citizenship.

3/ Producing and disseminating a wider and more original range of information on current international and intercultural relations – and their corollaries in terms of divisions and exclusion – arising from the mix of ethnic media and other media.
The idea is to provide crossed analysis and understanding which should enable the different strata of society reached by these media to see how interdependent these issues are and take in account the diversity here and there, but also between here and there.

Products and services

1 directory of ethnic media, in paper version (with a print run of 1500 copies)

1 electronic database on ethnic media in Europe

9 skill-sharing workshops on professional practices will gather 450 media workers and representatives from the world of development and international co-operation but also of fight against discrimination and integration

3 European media meetings will bring together 180 media professionals of ethnic media, mainstream media and community media

90 articles, radio and television program will be produced by journalists of ethnic media in collaboration with mainstream media

1 typological analysis on produced information and audiences, of ethnic media in paper version (with a print run of 1500 copies)

2 comparative surveys on the content of the articles and documentaries will be published in a run of 1500 copies

Expected results

A network of committed journalists and publishers from ethnic, mainstream and community media

Formulation of recommendations on methodology and strategy for journalists and publishers, their professional organizations and training establishments

Institutional strengthening of ethnic media for increasing their visibility and their range of influence

Global Impact

Beyond these first results, the main impact expected is an increase (in terms of volume) and a modification (in terms of content) in the information and analysis circulated by mainstream as well as community media. This includes a change in the priority and treatment the mainstream media give to international and intercultural relations.

In other words, this program wants to make diversity recognized as a source of enrichment. Diversity must allow a strengthening of plurality and credibility of published information, in order to support a greater objectivity in the news. This strengthening of information plurality on international and intercultural relations should contribute to revitalize the public interest and contribution on actions and policies of international development, integration and fight against discrimination.

Geographical areas

Directly - France, The Netherlands and Italy
Indirectly - Countries of the European Union in the North (United Kingdom, Sweden), In the Center (Belgium, Germany) and In the South (Spain, Portugal)

Beneficiaries

Directly
120 media professionals
1/ journalists and publishers of ethnic and Diaspora media,
2/ journalists and publishers of community media linked to Development NGOs and organisations in charge of actions on integration and fight against discrimination,
3/ journalists and publishers of mainstream media, especially involved in international and intercultural issues

Indirectly – From several thousand to several million people, especially:
Immigrant and ethnic minority communities – according to available information on the average audience for these media (10 media targeted), approximately 100,000 persons per country will be reached by their outputs
Public and members of international development NGOs and intercultural organisations
Audiences of the mainstream media, through partnerships of production with ethnic and Diaspora media

European consortium

INSTITUT PANOS PARIS – European leader NGO in charge of the implementation and development of the programme, Panos Paris will be specifically in charge of the European co-ordination and of the Centre European area – www.panosparis.org

COSPE – Based in Italy, COSPE is a international development NGO settled at Florence and initiating activities in the fields of media, development and immigration. It will be in charge of the Southern European area. – www.cospe.it

MIRAMEDIA – Dutch NGO focusing on Media / Minority issues, MiraMedia will be in charge of the Northern European area – www.miramedia.nl
Professional media organisations, such as the International Federation of Journalists, media unions, ethnic and Diaspora media groups, unions or networks, etc.

Potentials partners

Professional media organizations, such as the International Federation of Journalists, media unions, ethnic media groups, unions or networks, etc.

Media and intercultural relations research centers – such as the Centre for Research on Ethnic Relations (University of Warwick), or the Department of Applied Social Sciences (University of Bradford, United Kingdom), ERCOMER (Netherlands), etc.

Development NGOs working on development and information issues, such as the World Association for Christian Communication (United Kingdom), N(o)VIB (Netherlands), CCFD (France), etc.

Organizations involved in integration and fight against discrimination programs, such as CIMADE, MRAP, Génériques (France), Trust 1990 (United Kingdom), ENAR (European network against racism), etc.

Immigrant and ethnic minority organizations, Sumpayo and AFRONEF (Netherlands), IDD (France), AST (Italy), Forim (France), etc.

Actions

ACTION 1 - CO-ORDINATION/MANAGEMENT OF A NETWORK of representatives of various media groups (mainstream, ethnic minority, community, etc.) and relevant stakeholders, representatives of development co-operation and intercultural players, IEMOs (immigrant and ethnic minority organizations), media professional organizations and research centers.
This involves:
- Creating and running a European network of media professionals concerned with the action, in relation with local coordinators
- Setting up centers run by the national coordinators appointed to extend the project’s activities

ACTION 2 – BUILDING AND REGULAR UPDATING OF AN COMMON INTERNET PORTAL AND 3 NATIONAL WEB SITES
To present main actions, news and results of the project at European and national level

ACTION 3 – DIRECTORY OF ETHNIC MEDIA IN EUROPE – Inventory and classification
This involves:
- The production of a database providing data on the information produced by these media, the channels used for dissemination and the audiences reached
- An analysis of the level of institutional and organizational development of ethnic media involves an assessment of their strengths, constraints and needs

ACTION 4 – COMPARATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MEDIA INFORMATION - Content analysis on media information published by the three groups of media
This involves:
- Conducting an analysis, which will aim to demonstrate the differences in content and approaches of the various groups of media with reference to international and intercultural relations and their current dynamics. This analysis will look at the output of 12 media per country over a six-month period.
- Publishing and disseminating the results of the analysis described above as an electronic briefing, with a paper version and a jointly-produced book

ACTION 5 – SKILL-SHARING WORKSHOPS for professionals in the three selected groups of media – Organization of 9 national workshops (two days each) on professional practices and media coverage of international and intercultural relations, involving 50 participants per target country and aiming at:
- analyzing the particular strengths and constraints of each media category
- identifying possibilities for collaboration on the basis of common interests
- building recommendations on methodology to encourage regular partnerships
- definition of a curriculum based on the results of the first two analyses

ACTION 6 – EUROPEAN MEDIA MEETINGS – Organization of 3 media meetings for media workers from the three media categories, media professional organizations and international development and intercultural stakeholders. This involves the organization of three 2 day meetings, each of them involving 60 participants:
- The first meeting will focus on content analysis of media productions, ensuring that the project remains genuinely participatory. This first meeting will also aim at establishing synergy between the different groups of media involved
- The second meeting, organized along the lines of the first national workshops, will mainly focus on sharing national initiatives with partners from other countries involved in the project
- The final meeting will be a platform to finalize and validate content analysis of media productions previously undertaken in the context of this program. Once again, it will ensure genuine participation for the various groups of participants in the analysis and full involvement in the dynamics implemented in the program.

ACTION 7 – FUND FOR PARTNERSHIPS: management of a support fund to stimulate partnerships between ethnic media and mainstream media for the co-production and co-dissemination of information related to issues of development, international and intercultural relations.
This involves:
- Supporting the production of 30 articles and/or radio and television programs per country covering the accommodation and travel costs of the journalists, members and involved in these partnerships and hosted in other media groups.

ACTION 8 – FINAL COMPARATIVE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF MEDIA INFORMATION PRODUCED by media participants in the project - i.e. 120 media
This involves:
- an analysis and evaluation of the progress and developments observed in professional practices in terms of content and treatment of information on international and intercultural relations and their current dynamics. The first content analysis will be used as baseline for comparison, with further interviews to analyze the content of messages and information produced
- Publication and dissemination of the results of the analysis as an electronic briefing and a jointly-produced book

ACTION 9 – AWARDS “MEDIA FOR DIVERSITY”
These awards will be delivered during a ceremony organized at the end of each European Media Meetings and aim to make recognize good practices of media coverage on international and intercultural relations, and development