 |
 |
---Apologies for cross-posts--- This press release is also available as printer-friendly PDF-file at http://www.olmcm.org/dbData/Resources/ewmm.pdf. Press release Date 21 March 2005 The European Week of Media and Minorities brings together producers and audiences to promote cultural diversity in the media The European Week of Media and Minorities was presented by the NGO's of Europe as one of the main events to establish in the upcoming years, when the NGO Forum addressed the 7th European Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy in Kiev on March 10-11. This week, seminars, presentations, school activities and roundtables with news editors or public officials already take place within the framework of the European Week of Media and Minorities in seven countries. They are to promote the public dialogue about the representation of minority groups and to empower minority audiences. Addressing the participants from the 46 member states of the Council of Europe at the Ministerial Conference on behalf of the NGO Forum, Ed Klute said: "The European network Online/More Colour in the Media took the initiative to unite many networks and initiatives concerning media and diversity. NGO's from all over Europe will join their efforts in the establishment of an annual European Week of Media and Minorities, with the slogan: 'Opening up to Diversity'. The activities will encourage the dialogue and further co-operation between media professionals, NGO's and the audiences." This week, such activities are already taking place in Greece, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. In Greece, for example, a Diversity Day organised in co-operation with the national TV station ERT3 will feature two discussion panels as well as 'diversity spots' and documentary productions on the position of minority communities and vulnerable social groups. A press conference in Spain presents a monitoring report specifically on the representation of ethnic minorities in TV advertising. In Finland, speakers at the seminar Towards Real Diversity in Europe will include spokespersons of national and local government and public broadcasting as well as guests from Latvia and The Netherlands. The European Week of Media and Minorities extends beyond discussion. In an event in The Netherlands, high school students participate in workshops in which they'll write dialogues for scenarios, be cast for a role in a TV-commercial, or schmink gruesome injuries. The students of one high school are introduced to the Viewers Test, an online tool TV that audiences can use to evaluate the multicultural quality of TV programmes. The scope of the European Week of Media and Minorities will increase next year, with the participation of several international networks. The significance of the event was underlined at the Ministerial Conference by Brankica Petkovic of the Slovenian Peace Institute. "Activities that are developed by NGO's to empower minorities in the media and facilitate dialogue between journalists and minority groups should be supported", she said, asserting the importance of a platform "to organise public awareness campaigns such as the European Week of Media and Minorities". For more information, see: http://www.olmcm.org -End- The European Week of Media and Minorities - Opening up to Diversity For more information, please contact: Online/More Colour in the Media (OL/MCM) Joost van Beek [log in to unmask] Tel.: +31-(0) 30-2399035 Fax. : +31-(0) 30-2302975 http://www.olmcm.org For more information on the European Week of Media and Minorities in your own country, please contact: Denmark: Bashy Quraishy, Fair Play, [log in to unmask] Finland: Ahmed Akar, City of Helsinki / RASMUS-Network, [log in to unmask] Greece: Chara Loka, DREAM - Discrimination, Racism, Equality And the Media, [log in to unmask] Italy: Jonathan Ferramola, Cospe, [log in to unmask] The Netherlands: Giovanni Massaro, Mira Media, [log in to unmask] Slovenia: Brankica Petkovic, Peace Institute, [log in to unmask] Spain: Raul Martinez, XenoMedia Comunicació / Centro de estudios y documentación sobre racismo y xenofobia, [log in to unmask]