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Description
Radio Študent’s project Third’s a Charm addresses the current public consultation on the draft proposal for a new Media Act that will last until the 5th of September 2020. The engagement of RŠ in the public consultation is an important and unique opportunity to fully advocate the third media sector (3MS) with the aim of achieving regulation of non-profit community media’ status, in particular: Recognition of the existence of community media as a separate media category in the new Regulation and the provision of adequate structural support .
RŠ will prepare for the public consultation by producing an in-depth analysis including suggestions for new amendments to the new Media Act. The communication campaign (radio and social media) as the core project activity will be used to gain public support for the regulation of the 3MS status, to activate the whole sector and the professional public and to exert pressure on policy makers. What is more, it will inform the general public and raise awareness on the very existence of the 3MS and the difficult operating conditions. This will emphasise the role of the 3MS as an important element that is ensuring media pluralism in Slovenia. The project will aim to mobilise, integrate and unite the 3MS in order to actively achieve the above explained goals.
By integrating the 3MS and jointly addressing the policy makers the project is ensuring long-term results which will empower the 3MS for the further negotiations after the adoption of the new Media Act. Project results will affect the following target groups: non-profit community media in the 3MS; other media; home and foreign professional public; international organizations in the field of community media human rights, media in general, journalism; 3MS NGOs; and policy makers.
Summary of project results
In the draft amendment to the Media Act prepared by the Ministry of Culture, the legislators did not specifically define the third media sector, i.e. the non-commercial and non-state sector. On the other hand, the EU resolutions and declarations aim to unify the media that make up the so-called third media pillar. In September 2008, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on community media in Europe. In February 2009, the Council of Europe signed a declaration on the role of community media in promoting social cohesion and intercultural dialogue. However, these declarations and recommendations clearly have no impact on the decisions of the legislators in the nation states.
The main goal of this project is to let the public know why the regularization of the third media sector''s legislative status is in the public interest. So our first step will be to run a comprehensive communication campaign that will help us gain public support needed to achieve amendments and additions to the new Media Act. In addition to its specific democratic organization and non-profit activities, the third media sector covers topics that are not represented in the Slovenian mainstream media. Community media – a major part of the third media sector – promotes intercultural dialogue and strengthens media pluralism by providing various minorities, marginalized social groups and subcultures with access to media.
In the long term, both the community media and the general public will benefit from the regulation of the third media sector status, since one of the main guidelines of non-commercial and independent media is the defense of freedom of speech and autonomous journalism serving the public interest.
The results of this projects were partially completed. The first result was completed early in the projects (prepared proposal of amendments and criteria for defining 3MS), the second result was not completed (implementation of proposal into legislation).