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Presentation by Sándor Orbán

How to Promote Excellence in Diversity Coverage – the role of media development NGOs in new EU countries ---- the case of Roma in Hungary. Presentation by Sándor Orbán. Background. SEENPM: a Network of 18 media development NGOs from 12 countries (including 4 new EU countries) since 2000

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Presentation by Sándor Orbán

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  1. How to Promote Excellence in Diversity Coverage – the role of media development NGOs in new EU countries----the case of Roma in Hungary Presentation by Sándor Orbán

  2. Background • SEENPM: a Network of 18 media development NGOs from 12 countries (including 4 new EU countries) since 2000 • Mission: to promote excellence in journalism through advocacy, research, training, exchange, dissemination of good practices • Reporting diversity, media ethics, self-regulation, human rights – high on the agenda • Registered in Albania, office in Budapest at CIJ • CIJ, Budapest: first newsroom diversification project for Roma in the region since 1998 • Partners: MDI (reporting diversity manual in 1997), ERRC, AI, HCLU, Freedom House Europe,etc.

  3. Focus on Roma – why? • The most vulnerable minority in Europe • Excluded from employment, housing, education, health services, justice • 5-10 per cent of the population in most Eastern European countries • Deteriorating situation because of the crisis • Anti-Roma sentiments fuelled by extreme right wing radical groups now represented in the Parliament • A wave of racially motivated attacks against Roma

  4. Portrayal of Roma in the mainstream media- controversial trends Positive developments • More sensitivity to vulnerable groups at certain quality news outlets • Media self-regulation/press councils/codes of conduct • Willingness to hire Roma journalists at certain news outlets/newsroom diversification efforts • Regional efforts to strengthen quality journalism including the coverage of minorities (awards, trainer training programs, editorial guidelines)

  5. Negative trends • Tabloidization – growing sensationalism, stereotypical presentation of Roma (e.g. the coverage of the suicide of the former prime minister’s spokesman • Division in media along political lines – open racism/anti-gypsyism at certain news outlets • Devastating impact of the financial crisis mostly on traditional media – deterioration in quality and labour relations • Hate speech in the cyber space on extreme right wing portals and blogs • Frequent criminalization of Roma in reporting • Lack of providing the context, human angle in the stories • We-they discourse – Roma, as passive objects in the coverage

  6. Forced assimilation versus intercultural dialogue Negatives signs • 80% favour the forced assimilation of Roma • the majority believes that ‘gypsy crime’ exists • 75% reject positive action • 23% think that non-Roma can help Roma Positive efforts • Decade of Roma Inclusion (WB, OSI, 12 governments) • Council of Europe campaigns (Dosta, Speak out against discrimination!) • Local initiatives No or limited visible results, often wasted resources.

  7. How to promote a fair portrayal of Roma? - the role of media NGOs • Promote and support media self-regulation (codes of conduct, style books, complaint mechanisms) • Incorporate reporting diversity in journalism curricula • Generate in-depth discussion involving newsroom decision-makers • Support media, especially PSB to produce quality reports on Roma • Train minority journalists and promote newsroom diversification

  8. Roma mainstream media internship program • Launched in 1998 – the first such initiative in post-communist countries, 11th class • One-year program – a combination of classroom training and internship in the newsroom • 104 graduates, 40 per cent work in media, award-winning alumni • 2003: Evans prize, 2009: one of the top 30 reporting diversityinitiatives in Europe

  9. Sosi? What’s up? www.sosinet.hu • Multimedia content produced by CIJ Roma alumni – cooperation with Romanian and Slovak partners • Distribution of the content to mainstream and Roma outlets in Hungary and abroad • Capacity building of Roma news outlets (e.g. Radio C, Roma Press Center) through training and consultancy • Setting up a database of Roma professionals to help mainstream media diversify sources • Reaching out to digital natives through www.sosinet.hu using social media (more than 100 unique visitors per day (average 4 minutes and 4,32 intersite clicks)

  10. Thank you for the attention.

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