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Dissing the European Union and its institutions is surfeit from some quarters and increasingly so. There are calls for it or them or somebody to do something about, well, anything. And others want same to do less. It must be painful paddling around the Berlaymont these days wearing those targets.
This week the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) fired its volley at the EU and many of its Member States. The report - Balancing Act (September 29) - authored by the organizations EU correspondent Jean-Paul Marthoz recommended holding Member States to established law; Treaty on European Union Article 2 and 11, Charter of Fundamental Rights. Freedom of expression, freedom of the press and tenets of media pluralism are all included in the founding documents and European Union institutions could do more, said the report’s recommendations, to “hold Member States” responsible for keeping to their commitments. (See more about press/media freedom here).
Also recommended is the hammer: “Utilize Article 7 and the suspension of voting rights against Member States that break press freedom commitments…”. The report itself faults EU institutions for “high-minded” ignorance of breaches in press freedom. Mexico and Syria are worse, no? The EU sat on its institutional hands during the Berlusconi years. Now there are worries about the UK with leading politicians, encouraged by certain media proprietors, embracing withdrawal from the EU altogether.
Now, nothing is done about the Hungarian government under Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “The EU presumed that once admitted, Member States would never backtrack,” said the CPJ report. “So the Commission, as guardian of the treaties, found itself under-equipped in dealing with Hungary.” The demise of media freedom in PM Orban’s Hungary has been well-documented by international media, prompting authorities to react in not-so-subtle ways. The report recalled the AP cameraman filming refugees crossing into Hungary being set upon by police dogs and forced to delete the video. (See more about media in Hungary here)
The five countries formally in the EU accession framework - Albania, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey - were also called out. “None has a respectable press freedom record,” said the CPJ report. After the admission of Bulgaria and Romania - both notable backsliders - the EU pushed for legislative reform in Croatia on issues involving media freedom. The next new EU Member States - if any - will also need to adjust.
“The history of European integration, however, taught them that political or economic expediency may trump values.”
It was an experiment to demonstrate the negative effects of self-censorship, explained the editor in charge. Ten years ago - September 30, 2005 - a dozen cartoons, some depicting the Prophet Muhammad, were published by Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten (JP). And so began, arguably, a grand and yet contentious debate within the media community, cultural leaders, politicians and the public at large pitting religious sensitivity affront freedom of expression.
“Modern, secular society is rejected by some Muslims,” wrote culture editor Flemming Rose to accompany the cartoons. “They demand a special position, insisting on special consideration of their own religious feelings. It is incompatible with contemporary democracy and freedom of speech, where one must be ready to put up with insults, mockery and ridicule. It is certainly not always attractive and nice to look at, and it does not mean that religious feelings should be made fun of at any price, but that is of minor importance in the present context. We are on our way to a slippery slope where no-one can tell how the self-censorship will end.” (See more about press/media freedom here)
Media outlets in Denmark, noting the anniversary, are not republishing those cartoons. “We see no reason for it,” said Ekstra Bladet chief editor Poul Madsen, quoted by Danish public broadcaster DR (September 30). “Everybody knows them and it would just be an empty provocation.” (See more about media in Denmark here)
“They are iconic and symbolic,” said Berlingske Tidende chief editor Lisbeth Knudsen. “It could have incalculable consequences if we showed them.”
Jyllands-Posten republished the original page without illustration or comment. Flemming Rose, now JP foreign editor, revisited the debate recently saying, “No drawing is worth a human life.”
Much has changed in the last decade.
The new media world continues to swirl through the investment-buy out cycle. Business Insider founder/investor Henry Blodget cashed out to the tune of US$343 million, giving German media house Axel Springer a 97% stake. The hold-out 3% is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos through his personal investment company Nash Holdings. Relativity being an ageing concept, Mr. Bezos acquired the Washington Post two years ago for US$250 million.
"The transaction is an essential component of Axel Springer's strategy to grow with digital journalistic offerings in English-language geographies,” said Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döphner in a widely quoted statement (September 29). Herr Döphner came up a few million short bidding for the Financial Times this past summer. Japanese media house Nikkei took home that trophy for US$1.3 billion. A bid for the Forbes franchise last year also failed. (See more about media in Germany here)
Business Insider offers aggregated news, some original content and lots of eyeballs. Its US traffic among business and financial portals, according to Comscore, now exceeds the Wall Street Journal. About one-third of its traffic comes from outside the US. Spin-off Tech Insider was launched in July. (See more about online news here)
In the brave new world of digital eyeball catchers, Business Insider is comfortably in the crowded pack with HuffingtonPost, BuzzFeed, Mashable, Voz, Vice, Quartz and others. Yes, clickbait comes to mind but publishers in a bygone era sent kids onto the streets shouting “Extra, Extra.” These portals are a bit like the TV show Bay Watch, extremely popular in international sindication for decades: fewer words, more cleavage.
Business Insider et.al. sell ads, very programatically, by the bucket. The mobile ad revenue stream, coveted by all, is under certain threat from ad blocking apps, recently enabled for Apple iPhones and iPads. Lawyers for Axel Springer were handed a defeat by a Cologne court, which declared German developer Eyeo’s AdBlock Plus software constitutional this week. Other German publishers and broadcasters have had lawsuits against Eyeo tossed by regional courts. Appeals are expected.
A proposal to harden music quota requirements has not pleased French radio broadcasters, large and small. Expressing that displeasure, they have, literally, gone to the barricades, boycotting the music quota rules altogether, at least one day (September 29). The 40% French content quota for radio broadcasters has been in place since 1994.
Earlier this week, Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin complained that radio broadcasters had been playing fast and loose with the rule’s intent. “In place of having the quotas filled by just 10 tracks, they will be filled with 11 or 12,” she said, quoted by France24 (September 29). Actually, the proposed rule amendment, which must first pass the National Assembly, calls for the 10 most played French-language tunes to comprise only 50% of the music quota requirement. “I don’t believe this will result in the calling into question anyone’s fundamental liberties.” (See more about media in France here)
Participating in the one-day boycott are national channels operated by RTL Group, NRJ Group, Lagardére and members of independent radio association Sirti. Their complaint, according to a joint statement, is that French-language music production has “collapsed,” limiting their choices. French artists are singing in English, it seems. Minister Pellerin, they grumble, wants “to divert the radio listeners to pay streaming platforms.”
And it’s competition from streaming platforms - from Spotify to Deezer and more - that concern French private sector broadcasters. They are not under legal requirement to push particular content to users, at least so far. Yes, French teenagers can hear Taylor Swift tunes 24/7 if they wish.
Early investor in Eastern European radio broadcasting Communicorp has exited its Latvian assets, reports Irish public broadcaster rte.ie (September 24). Operator of five mainly co-branded on-air and online channels, Radio SWH has been acquired by station manager Janis Sipkevics and sales director Filips Rubenis with financial assistance from Tallinn, Estonia-based movie theater owner Cinamon Holding, principally held by Russian investor DTL Capital.
Dublin-based Communicorp expanded radio holdings in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia from the early 1990’s through mid 2000’s. In recent years the company, principally owned by Denis O’Brien, exited radio holdings in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ukraine, Sweden, Finland and Estonia. In addition to extensive radio holdings in Ireland and recent acquisitions in the UK the company continues to own radio operations in Bulgaria and Jordan.
Main channel Radio SWH offers pop music and has a 6% market share according to recent TNS audience estimates, ranked 4th overall. SWH Rock is a rock music station. Spin FM and SWH+ are Russian-language stations. Financial details were not disclosed. The ownership transfer is effective immediately.
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