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

• 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.

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

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)

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

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.

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

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 diversity initiatives in Europe

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)

Thank you for the attention.