Ensuring a diversity of voices in the media

Diversity in broadcasting and online media is the topic of the second chapter. Most Parties have public service media with a legal remit to promote a diversity of cultural expressions, indicating a broad awareness of the importance of media diversity. Several Parties also report supporting the proliferation of community media through financing, access to permits and removing restrictions, while a few States are beginning to implement more multifaceted media monitoring systems to keep track of media ownership and the media’s representation of social groups. Challenges nonetheless remain. While 68% of Parties report using content quotas, media outlets often face difficulties in complying with them due to a lack of local productions. Paid and online media also remains less regulated, to the possible detriment of diversity in an increasingly individualized media environment. Ensuring the diversity of cultural expressions in the media requires more holistic monitoring systems and the wider application of target-based measures for both public and private media.