Recent events (ICYMI: part 1 & part 2 ) got me thinking: Who is watching the Brussels based EU media? Do we need a ‘EU media watch blog’? The EU media landscape is changing. It has become more aggressive and more driven by business interests. So, do we need a place that keeps an eye on what the EU media is doing? How do they operate, and what sort of journalism are we exposed to? In Germany you have BildBlog or Stefan Niggermeier’s blog, in the UK there are blogs like zelo street – and a whole network of other ‘media watch blogs’.
The idea of a ‘EU media watch blog’ is simple: keep an eye on (BXL based?) EU media, point out factual errors, expose lazy EU journalism and other ‘dubious’ activities. It’s about transparency and accountability. Obviously the concept needs to be developed – but it’s an important issue: How do we make sure that EU media stays honest and accurate? And how do we keep them accountable?
What do we need?
First of all, a few people who want to write regularly about EU media in Brussels (and elsewhere?) Obviously, this is a bit tricky as many people who have an opinion on these issues also rely on the Brussels media for their day-to-day work. So, we would need to work out a code of conduct – and create a powerful reputation among journalists and opinion leaders.
The technical stuff is straight forward and not very complex. However, in the long run, this project would need some funding to keep it going. Being able to criticise EU media needs a degree of independence. And independence also means financial independence.
Interested?
Get in touch – let’s see what we can do!