What role should the media play in promoting diversity and social cohesion in Europe?
Europe can only come together on the social level if there is a practical implementation of theories. The media has an important role to play in this process; an ‘ABCD’ approach. The media must first be Aware and acknowledge the problems which keep social cohesion at a low level (these vary throughout Europe – but are for national and local media measurable, or at least observable), Balance Coverage on these issues in a way that aims to resolve issues of contention rather than magnify problems, and finally foster Dialogue by giving exposure (airtime, publication of articles, use as sources) to people representing diverse opinions, social groups ethnic minorities, and any other under-represented, but valuable voices. There cannot be a clear-cut rule to this; it is a series of value judgments. 2. Should the media act as a “responsible partner” in an increasingly multicultural environment? Looking firstly at the news element of media, it is worth noting that each medium does not always ac
