#MediaAgainstHate is a Europe-wide campaign led by the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and a coalition of civil society organisations. We aim to counter hate speech and discrimination in the media, both on and offline, by promoting ethical standards, while maintaining respect for freedom of expression. Our work is underpinned by the belief that the rights to equality and freedom of expression are mutually reinforcing and essential to human dignity.
The media and journalists play a crucial role in informing both policy and societal opinion regarding migration and refugees. As hate speech and stereotypes targeting migrants proliferate across Europe, balanced and fair media reporting is needed more than ever. Despite some good journalism practices, additional training and resources for media professionals and media organisations will help promote dialogue and democratic processes.
Involving partners from across Europe, including ARTICLE 19, Media Diversity Institute (MDI), Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA), Cooperazione per lo Sviluppo dei Paesi Emergenti (COSPE), Community Media Institute (COMMIT), Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) and the EFJ, the #MediaAgainstHate campaign aims to:
- improve media coverage related to migration, refugees, religion and marginalised groups in general;
- improve capacity of journalists, media, CSOs and community media to counter hate speech, intolerance, racism and discrimination;
- improve implementation of legal frameworks regulating hate speech and freedom of speech;
- raise awareness about various types of discrimination through better reporting on the above issues
- provide support to journalists exposing hate speech who have become targets and victims of hatred and harassment for speaking out
A series of trainings and workshops will be organised for media professionals, representatives of CSOs and media regulators across Europe to exchange best practices and promote mutual learning and cooperation activities.
As part of the campaign, a video contest will be launched to collect multilingual examples of counter-narratives fighting stereotypes and discrimination.
For more information and regular updates, please visit the website.
