The Council of Europe has issued guidelines to its 47 member states aimed at assisting them in the promotion of media pluralism and transparency of media ownership.
In a Recommendation adopted today, the Committee of Ministers underlines that advances in modern technology have a profound impact on the functioning of the media sector and on media pluralism. To address this challenge, the recommendation establishes a comprehensive framework of guidelines for creating a pluralist, transparent and participatory media environment, both offline and online.
The recommendation lays down the essential conditions to be fulfilled in order to enhance media pluralism. States are encouraged to develop strategies for increasing the sustainability of a variety of media ranging from public service media, local, minority, community and cross-border media.
States are also encouraged to support quality independent and investigative journalism, whilst fully respecting the editorial and operational autonomy of the media. The recommendation also provides guidelines which are to assure visibility of diverse content across a number of platforms and help expose it to the widest possible audience through media literacy programmes.
Furthermore, the recommendation encourages states to develop regulatory frameworks to promote transparency of media ownership.
