The kick-off of the Week of Action took place on March 15 in Brussels, where the European monitoring report was presented in collaboration with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). This Europe-wide benchmark report is based on a one-day monitoring of the media output of November 13 2003, conducted by the National Focal Points of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) in all 15 EU-member states. Here is an excerpt from the report, which found that minorities are still underrepresented in the European media: "it should be a priority to encourage positive and practical structures for dialogue between media outlets and minority groups. Journalists should debate how to make their structures accessible to journalists from minority or excluded groups. OL/MCM will encourage Unions of Journalists to consider setting up working groups to deal with issues of how to develop and implement new intercultural media competencies for journalists". To read more about these recommendations (in PDF format), click here.

In the week that followed, national events took place in an effort to promote dialogue between journalists and minority audiences in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (click here for details). In general, these activities ranged from a video-making competition on racism and discrimination and a music concert (Finland) to national and local seminars with refugees, minority NGOs, and journalists (the UK and Italy). Several organisations also presented the results of the monitoring they did in November 2003 in their own country.

Media, Multiculturalism, Racism and Racial Diversity.

"In today's multicultural society, the media are major factors. If immigrants and refugees are not portrayed in representative measure, they will not feel recognized as equal citizens by their new countries of residence", according to Ed Klute, Chair of OL/MCM. "Both journalists and minority groups have to be equipped with new tools and intercultural skills. This project is intended as a starting point to encourage minorities' active participation in the media".

A follow-up meeting of the European Day of Media Monitoring project took place in September 2004 in the frame of the European Conference "Tuning in to Diversity 2004”, in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands. The aim of the meeting was to review experience and results of the project and exchange expertise between the “old” participants and the ones coming from the new EU countries, in order to define successful strategies for minority organisations that use media watch activities as a tool to foster dialogue with journalists.

The group is striving to establish a European Week of Media and Minorities, bringing together minority NGOs, journalists and media professionals to reflect on minority participation in the media and on the minorities’ portrayal in the European media. OL/MCM is committed to organising another follow-up meeting with the same group to develop the new media monitoring activities and a European Week on Media and Minorities in 2005.