The MedMedia project is part of the regional Programme Media and Culture for Development in the Southern Mediterranean 2014-2017 which also includes Aswatona and Ebticar media support projects. The programme is implemented in the framework of the revised EU Neighbourhood Policy. MedMedia focuses on media legislation, regulation, programming, strategy and leadership with a view to helping state med
ia fulfil their public service mandate and compete with the commercial sector. It will also work to build public trust by strengthening the media’s role as an independent watchdog and a forum for democratic debate. The MedMedia project will work across nine of the ENP South countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel. Launched in January 2014, it will run for a total of 48 months. The €5-million project is funded by the European Commission under its European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument. MedMedia is being implemented by a consortium led by BBC Media Action (the international development arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation) and comprising the International Federation of Journalists, IREX Europe, the Blanquerna School of Communications and the Jordan Media Institute. All five partners have a long track record of working in the target countries and a high level of credibility across the region. General purpose
The project’s overarching goal is to reinforce the role of media as a vector for democratisation and contribute to the development of a more public service-orientated media landscape in the southern Mediterranean as well as to contribute to the creation and development of a public sphere in the region. Objectives and results
In order to work towards the general purpose, the project has embraced the following objectives:
• To accompany the process of restructuring the media sector in the ENP South partner countries so that public service media are able to fulfil their role as independent watchdogs
By supporting efforts to reform legislative and regulatory frameworks, the project will lay down the foundations for greater independence, freedom and pluralism in the media sector. This process will help to establish a proper relationship between governments and state media; ensure greater transparency of media ownership; and improve the conditions in which broadcasters operate. As a result, public service media will be better able to hold public officials to account over issues such as service provision, policy implementation and the progress of government reforms. By being seen to act as independent watchdogs, state media will earn greater public trust and can, therefore, expect to improve their market share.
• To develop capacities in the media sector based on a bottom-up approach so that key players can rise to new professional challenges and respond to audience needs
Proposed activities (conferences and round-tables) include a substantial body of work dedicated to public service programming and professional ethics. The project will consider current challenges facing the Arab media and facilitate a dialogue around possible solutions. These will include proposals for greater convergence between new and traditional media as well as scheduling which better reflects the interests and concerns of their audiences. Furthermore, a series of workshops will address the need to introduce or improve specialist programming for specific identity groups such as women and ethnic minorities. They will also consider the benefits of media literacy programmes for young people with a view to promoting the media’s role in a democratic society and the value of media-based debate. In addition to organised events, capacity-building within the sector will be delivered through an innovative programme of peer-to-peer mentoring which will see stakeholders in the region “paired” with counterparts in the EU and other partner countries. Enacted over a sustained period of time, the mentoring will ensure an ongoing exchange of experience and provide a sounding board for new ideas.
• To improve the level of contacts between media practitioners across the region facilitating their work at local and regional level
The project’s networking component will seek to strengthen the support network available to media practitioners in the ENP countries. Regional and sub-regional events will explore ways of protecting journalists against legal cudgels, financial pressures and other forms of coercion. The opportunity to learn from the experience of colleagues working in comparable environments is likely to be particularly valuable.
• To make an overview of the media sector available to relevant decision-makers and media practitioners
A considerable amount of research has been dedicated to the media sector over recent years, however the conclusions and findings of this work are often poorly promoted and disseminated, particularly on a regional level. As a result, policy-makers have been prone to repeat the mistakes of neighboring countries or to base their decisions on incomplete data. The project will work to collate and catalogue the work which has been produced in the past, making it widely available through a bespoke knowledge management platform which will offer the opportunity for a web-based discussion of key challenges. The platform will also serve as a conduit for research and assessment materials produced through the project, presenting a 360˚ overview of the sector over the course of four years. Target groups
• Regulatory and statutory bodies
• Journalism unions and support organisations
• Public service and community media
• Policy-makers
Useful contacts:
Heinke Veit, EC Task Manager
Email: [email protected]
Michael Randall, Team Leader
Email: [email protected]
Jocelyn Grange, Senior Peer-to-Peer Media Expert
Email: [email protected]
Sarah Bouchetob, Senior Networking and Communications Manager
Email: [email protected]
Ellie Haworth, Head of Project for BBC Media Action
Email: [email protected]
