Lost in transition?

1. Lost in transition? A summary of six country reports for the project Youth and Media in Transition Societies by the Robert Bosch Foundation & Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen

2. Bulgaria Croatia Germany Poland Romania Serbia 2 EU members: G, P 3 EU candidate countries: BG, CRO, RO 1 Country (SER) in SAP negotiating SAA ----------------------------- 2 post-war countries (CRO&SER) Countries

3. Reporters • Bulgaria: Rumyana Bozhkova • Croatia: Barbara Peranić • Germany: Nebojša Martinović • Poland: ALeksandra Lipczak & Manuela Pliżga-Jonarska • Romania: Adrian Ardelean • Serbia: Marko Čadež & Radovan Kupres

4. Transition Change from socialist system to democracy: • Change of the political framework • Change of the legal framework • Change of the role of the media (SER&CRO: Change from war to post-conflict reconstruction)

5. Youth as target group for the media Youth’s self-perception in the political life How is the youth’s role in transition seen by political and social decision-makers How is youth included into transition Young generation: 15-17 & 18-24 years in several reports up to 29 years of age Purpose of research to describe:

6. Relevant mass media & mass media platforms • Television • Radio • Print media • Internet

7. Focus & method of research • Emphasis on how young generation uses mass media for political information • Underlying assumption: informed young citizens empowered to participate in transition, particularly through civil society activism • General media sector structure and media consumption patterns only as background • Meta-analysis of existing empirical data

8. Structure of the reports • Introduction: Political environment in the country • Overview of the media sector in the country • Overview of existing studies relevant to the research • Monitoring of the relevant media to determine discourse on youth issues • Media usage by young generation • Governmental and non-governmental initiatives for the young generation • Presentation of (a) best-practice model (s) • Optional: interviews with experts • Conclusions & Evaluation  Discussion at this conference

9. Findings:1.1.Political environment & young generation EU – Members • GER: Transition not typical, but “higher level of uncertainty among the whole population and especially the youth” • POL: “Transformation process has been concluded in the most crucial aspects” EU – Candidates: • ROM: Only when ROM enters EU, transformation is over • BG: 1989-1996 “low speed” 1997 – now: “extensive reform package” • CRO: “has yet to complete its transition process” SAP Country • SER: “key problems remain” (SER+CRO still suffer from war) YOUNG GENERATION: • SER: Youth lost in transition • CRO: Youth in Croatia – Lost in transition • BG: Lost generation (because of emigration) • ROM: Young generation has to be made “fit” for democracy • POL: Abandoned generation • GER: “Apparent luck of interest and trust of young people towards politics”

10. 1.2. Findings: Political environment & young generation Some common descriptions: • Young generation leading in “revolutions” but afterwards marginalised by the establishment; • Economic & other burdens of transition fall heavily on young generation (unemployment, fall of living standard, deterioration of educational systems, reduced social benefits, corruption & organised crime, inefficient legal systems); • Civic involvement declining, mistrust in politics & politicians rising;

11. 2.Findings: Media sector • Proliferation of mass media outlets • Strong influx & dominant position of foreign capital • Disappearance of rebel youth media (Polet, Mladina, Non) • “Dumbing down” both in commercial sector & PSB to increase market share (www.eumap.org) • Ethnic stereotyping persistent (Roma!) & minority representation deficient (including GER) • Internet on the rise

12. 3.1. Findings: Existing studies on youth & transition Some common outcomes: • Prevalent support for European integration • Less educated young people see more dangers coming from EU integration (jobs!) • Democracy accepted (education & age!) • !POL: Degree of trust in the media is related to degree of interest in politics – better orientation in public life strengthens a more critical reception of media content • Acceptance of market economy and readiness for enterprise (education!) • Retreat into private sphere & corresponding media interests such as entertainment, sports, soaps, life-style… • Feeling of loss & social loneliness & turn to traditional values (religious rites!) (less educated & less affluent)

13. 3.2. Findings: Existing studies on youth & transition • Television is the preferred mass media outlet both for entertainment & political information (cheaper!) • Radio preferred for music and “instant information” as “background companion” • Daily press is used less and less by the young generation (education!) • “Imagetext” format (Newsweek Polska), infotainment & outright “tabloidisation” on the rise • Internet increasingly popular among young generation but costs and education are limiting factors • Few examples of “civic media” or “youth to youth” media • “Media divide”: some minorities (BG: Roma!) gain significantly less media access & attention - but other enjoy a positive attitude (ROM towards German, i.e. western, ethnic minority) • General distrust of social institutions, including news media. But: less educated youth trust news media more than better educated young people

14. 4+5. Monitoring of selected media outlets • Some mass media pay attention to providing content for and by the young generation (Gazeta Wyborcza, Blic, Direkt tv show, Spoko, etc) • Content provided by “young” media (BG: Alma Mater, CRO: Radio Student, etc., UniSpiegel) is popular and fosters critical social and political attitudes • Most “established” media do not see young generation as worth of particular editorial and marketing strategies – therefore young people disregard them as well (especially quasi PSB such as RTS, HRT, etc.) • Circulation & audience rising topics such as sex & crime, celebrities and sports frame young generation far from reality • Internet is the mass media platform for the better educated and affluent youth as it provides most choices • Post-conflict societies (but not only): occurrence of “hate-speech” towards ethnic & other minorities • GER & other “old Europe” (in various degrees) fail to engage immigrant youth significantly into public life

15. GER: “No shortage of projects, but in some cases there is a lack of cooperation” POL: School parliaments, mock elections, media literacy workshops CRO: “Gong” – 50% of all final-year grammar school pupils participated in workshops of that CSO, RADIO101 (Omladinski radio) BG: www.izbori2005.org with over 4000 young participants SER: Evronet (Mreža), 5’ RTS1 Governments (GER exception) tend to be passive; Often lip-service only to programmes for youth and inclusion of young generation into political decision-making CSOs depend on external financial assistance and sometimes content input –important role of the German political foundations Lack of co-ordination (domestic & external) waists possible synergies Young generation is divided according to social status, wealth, ethnic background, location of living, etc. so that initiatives have to be tailored to specific needs 6. Gov. & CSO initiatives for the youth

16. 7. Best practice models • SER: Restart – RTS2 programme for young people from ex-Yu to foster “Vergangenheitsbewältigung” • ROM: “Pausenradio” – radio in a German minority school in Temisoara broadcasting twice daily news, features, music, etc. • BG: Agency for Youth & Sports supported in 1998 a project to create a children‘s parliament • CRO: „Gong“ – a project to foster participation of young people in democracy • POL (several): Nowy Staw Foundation in Lubin runs “EU media trainer” empowering young people from local civil centres to prepare media reports about their social environment • GER: DASDING by PSB SWR – 45´ interactive TV by young journalists on various platforms; ZISCH – participating school classes receive free copies of dailies and review content critically & can themselves write articles for local papers

17. GER: It is important to reach those youth who show little interest in politics and society (but sometimes care about social activism) POL: Polish people are tired by the low quality of political culture, including mass media – but mass media are among few institutions enjoying some social trust People in CRO are tired of political games and party conflicts and their confidence in the media is not that great. The country lacks independent and non-profit youth media BG: Although there is greater diversity in the media, young people are pejoratively presented & denied access to the media to influence politics & society as a whole ROM: The question remains how to motive young people to consume more news and current affairs reporting especially if young people are not strongly integrated into politics SER: Who will bring the country in the next years into the EU if young generation is excluded from the political process? Gvt should develop a national youth policy 9.1 Conclusions

18. Demographical trends indicate aging of population throughout Europe & already now Southeast Europe (except Albanian population) belongs to the oldest groups on the continent Young people (especially less educated with minority & migrant background) especially jeopardised by unemployment & poverty throughout Europe Post-conflict area in ex-Yu still impaired by war experience, particularly young people who were affected by violence Migration issues increasingly affect CEE & SEE as these are both labour exporting & importing regions Digitalisation continues to change media sector (4000 TV channels over Europe) Internet based services affect media consumption Transnational media concentration continues with little public knowledge about changes Further liberalisation in the media sector endorsed by EU (product placement rules, revised Television Without Frontiers Directive, etc.) EU’s democratic deficit continues to provoke public discontent & produces “enlargement fatigue” affecting perspectives of weakest part of Europe -SEE 9.2.1 Additional aspects worth examining

19. 10. Recommendations ?