{"id":26522,"date":"2024-02-16T14:53:58","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T14:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ivir.nl\/projects\/comenius\/media-pluralism\/blogpost\/"},"modified":"2024-02-16T14:53:58","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T14:53:58","slug":"blogpost","status":"publish","type":"vo_project","link":"https:\/\/www.ivir.nl\/nl\/projecten\/comenius\/media-pluralism\/blogpost\/","title":{"rendered":"Blogpost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Emerging challenges to media pluralism in the digital era<\/strong>
Melinda Rucz<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Information is abundant in the digital era as online platforms enable access to an unprecedented amount of media content. While this should be good news from the perspective of information diversity, the digital transformation has brought its own challenges to media pluralism. This blogpost examines two new threats to media pluralism in the digital era: the adverse effects of algorithmic content curation practices of online platforms on the diversity of media content that individuals engage with; and the impact of the dominance of online platforms on the plurality of the media environment. After introducing media pluralism and the evolving media environment, the blogpost analyses these two areas of digital challenges and explores how they transform traditional policy approaches to media pluralism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media pluralism as an enduring hallmark of democracy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media pluralism is vital for the health of democratic societies. A pluralist media environment facilitates the development of well-considered opinions by ensuring<\/a> \u201cthe availability and accessibility of diverse information and views, on the basis of which individuals can form and express their opinions\u201d.[i]<\/a> A pluralistic media landscape prevents a dominant opinion-forming power<\/a> from exerting a disproportionate influence on public discourse and stimulates the exchange of a variety of viewpoints. Furthermore, the promotion of media pluralism holds particular relevance for minorities. A media environment that provides expressive opportunities for all sectors of society helps to articulate, explore and sustain<\/a> diverse cultural identities. By enabling exchange of cultural experiences and perspectives, a plural media environment fosters intercultural understanding, contributing to social cohesion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media pluralism, thus, allows discovery and discussion of a variety of potentially competing viewpoints, narratives and information sources, which is considered a precondition to best participate in democratic processes. Media pluralism is a multi-dimensional concept that can manifest in various forms. A traditional approach is to distinguish between its internal and external dimensions. Internal pluralism relates to the diversity of accessible content and the variety of viewpoints reflected within a single media outlet. This dimension of pluralism has particular relevance in the context of public service media, which have a mission to provide content for a wide range of political, social and cultural interests. External pluralism refers to the plurality of the entire media market and manifests through the diversity of available information sources across different media. External pluralism is usually assessed by the level of concentration of media ownership on a media landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Europe, media pluralism is recognised as a corollary to the right to freedom of expression. In its case law, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held<\/a> that pluralism is a prerequisite to democracy. States, as ultimate guarantors<\/a> of pluralism, have a positive obligation to set up an appropriate legislative and administrative framework to safeguard media pluralism. Given the complex, multi-faceted nature of the concept of media pluralism, the ECtHR recognises<\/a> that a variety of strategies could be deployed to ensure pluralism. Its internal and external dimensions cannot be considered in isolation, as both are needed to achieve \u201cdiversity of overall programme content, reflecting as far as possible the variety of opinions encountered in the society at which the programmes are aimed\u201d.[ii]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the ECtHR\u2019s jurisprudence on media pluralism mostly relates to traditional media, the standard-setting work of the Council of Europe increasingly engages with the changing media landscape. The Recommendation on Media Pluralism and Transparency of Media Ownership<\/a>, adopted by the Committee of Ministers in 2018,  advocates for renewed approaches to safeguard media pluralism in the digital age. The European Union also demonstrates increasing attention to media pluralism, for instance through co-funding initiatives such as the Media Pluralism Monitor<\/a>. In the European Commission\u2019s annual rule of law reports<\/a>, media pluralism is among the central focuses, demonstrating that the plurality of the media is seen as a key indicator of the wellbeing of European democracies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Recommendation CM\/Rec(2018)1 on Media Pluralism and Transparency of Media Ownership<\/strong>
This standard-setting document operationalises key principles relating to media pluralism and puts forward a comprehensive set of recommendations that State Parties to the Council of Europe should implement in order to protect and promote a pluralist media environment. Key focuses of the recommendation include:
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