Conference
Media Democracy under Pressure – Community Media in Europe
Date & Time: May 22, 2018, 12:00-19:00
Location: HS 1 UG, Department of Communication, Währinger Straße 29, 1090 Vienna
Invitation (English) Einladung (Deutsch)
This conference entitled "Media Democracy under Pressure – Community Media in Europe" is presented and organised by the Media Governance & Industries Research Lab of the Department of Communication (U of Vienna), the Verband Freier Radios Österreich, COMMIT, Radio Orange 94.0 and OKTO. Representatives of OSCE, ORF, COMMIT and Radio Orange among others will present positions on the role of community media in democracy in Europe.
Community media are situated between public service and private-commercial media organizations. They symbolize diversity, pluralism, participative media production and content of civil society. Community media operate as a space for public, democratized, multivocal debates.Despite their long-standing existence – Austria looks back at 20 years of community radio – they are often left aside of the media policy debate.
The focus of this conference is to bring back attention to the democratic role of community media in Europe and the conditions under which they are enabled to create or strenghten democracy. We will discuss the following questions and issues:
- What forms of media regulation can enable free media projects?
- Which conditions facilitate truly participative information generated by and for citizens?
- What is needed to strengthen democratic processes?
- What are the responsibilities and expectations of free and community media?