Media landscape and the state of the freedom of media in selected ENP and EU countries Media analysis Warsaw 2019 Media landscape and the state of the freedom of media in selected ENP and EU countries Dominik Cagara, Michał Kobosko, Ewa Stasiak-Jazukiewicz, Roxane Farmanfarmaian, Anatoliy Martsynkovskyi, Natalia Moghilda Editors Dominik Cagara, Michał Kobosko Technical editor Marcin Sobala Published by College of Europe Natolin Campus Nowoursynowska 84 02-797 Warsaw, Poland This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the College of Europe, Natolin and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union. Unless otherwise indicated, this publication and its contents are the property of the Natolin Campus of the College of Europe. All rights reserved. College of Europe Natolin Campus ul. Nowoursynowska 84 PL 02-797 Warsaw, Poland www.coleuropenatolin.eu 2 EU: France, Greece Spain Prof. dr hab. Ewa Stasiak-Jazukiewicz The chapter was produced on the basis of case studies. A case study is a qualitative method that allows for an in-depth visualization of a specific, unusual phenomenon and drawing conclusions about its causes and consequences, its features and social determinants1. According to David A. Snow and Leon Anderson, a comprehensive analysis ensures the use of many different research methods and techniques as well as efficient use of the triangulation method, i.e. comparing data from different sources2. The chapter consists of four main parts, four case studies. The first study is a presentation of consumption and trust in the media in France, Greece and Spain, based on the results of social and market research conducted by renowned research centers (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism). The next two studies show the reasons for this level of social trust to media and these are: comparative analysis of media systems in France, Greece and Spain, and identification of restrictions and threats for journalists. The available statistical data was used here, a critical analysis of the rich literature on the subject was carried out, analysis of the areas of regulation of the functioning of the media and journalism (ethical codes), results of institutional analysis of trade unions and journalistic associations were presented, alongside a review of sources monitoring journalists' safety and media freedom (EFJ, IFJ, RSF, AEJ and Article19), from which it follows that journalists are more and more often 1 Wimmer Roger D., Dominick Joseph R. (2008), Mass media: Metody badań, Kraków. 2 Snow David A., Anderson Leon (1991), Researching the Homeless. The Characteristic Features and Virtues of the Case Study, [in:] Feagin, J., Orum, A., Sjoberg, G. (Eds.), A Case for Case Study, Chapel Hill, pp.147 -173. College of Europe Natolin Campus ul. Nowoursynowska 84 PL 02-797 Warsaw, Poland www.coleuropenatolin.eu 7 subject to verbal and physical aggression, they are threatened with the loss of life, and work is hindered. The last case study concerns the social and political dimension of journalism in France, Greece and Spain. It consists of two perspectives: important for the participants of theoretical training of presenting the rules of information selection process and empirical analysis of the world image, including the picture of the European Neighbourhood Policy stated according to eight selected digital newspapers from France, Greece and Spain. This part was based on content analysis. Summary and recommendations Media consumption Social life in each of the analysed countries underwent mediatisation manifested by the dominance of borrowed knowledge and the individualization of media use. In each of the countries analysed, other media act as the main sources of information. From a rich offer, media users choose content that is in line with their political views. Internet and social media intensify the practice of selective filtration, contributing to the so-called silo effect, which destroys all ideas for broadening media pluralism and consequently strengthens or even deepens social divisions. The number of websites and blogs, including party-affiliated ones, is increasing, such as the Spanish "OK.Diario". The number of people willing to pay for quality journalism in the online version remains low: at 11percent in France and Spain, and 6 percent in Greece, despite the loss of confidence in information obtained through social media or citizen journalism. It does not change the fact that the number of informative digital newspapers is College of Europe Natolin Campus ul. Nowoursynowska 84 PL 02-797 Warsaw, Poland www.coleuropenatolin.eu 8 growing, whether in the form of online versions of traditional journals and magazines or new initiatives that are not a continuation of the existing traditional media. In Spain, for example, they had 29.9 million users, in 2017, however ... noteworthy ...: because they are available for free. In France and Spain, there has been a drop in the use of Facebook, with a concurrent increase in the use of the internet communicator WhatsApp, known for its greater privacy. Trust in the media The widespread tendency of the decline of confidence in the media also applies to the societies of France, Greece and Spain. It is connected with a high level of media polarization, anxiety about untrustworthy or unreliable news (fake news). In addition, in France, in which the election campaign was affected by disinformation and in Spain, where Russian propaganda was active during the crisis in Catalonia, a sense of the threat of inaccurate information increased (Spain - 69%, Greece - 66% and France - 62%). Spaniards (72%) and the French (61%) expect their governments to solve the problem of disinformation. State of media and journalism In each of the countries analysed, the political parallelism of the media is visible, i.e. links between the media and political parties, and the media system reflects the main political divisions in society. Wherein in France, the media, representing various social, political, economic or cultural groups, constitute a forum for political debate, and in Spain and Greece are tools of influence and influence on social attitudes. The media image of the world is negative, politicized and fragmented. The image of countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy does not deviate from College of Europe Natolin Campus ul. Nowoursynowska 84 PL 02-797 Warsaw, Poland www.coleuropenatolin.eu 9 these standards. The analysis of the content of journalistic materials of eight digital dailies from three different countries presenting different political options, carried out for the needs of the report, indicates that the crucial variable that influenced the media image of the world as well as the media image of countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy was the gatekeeper. Another variable, so-called information factors (criterial factors) in each of the analysed titles were the same. In order to obtain the desired image, one should influence the gatekeeper, and more precisely the sources that the media have. Media consumption and confidence in the media in France, Greece and Spain Media Consumption In none of the countries discussed are there any formal technical conditions that would prevent the use of any media. The TV signal provided by analog, cable or satellite ensures coverage of the entire territory of each country. Other conditions are also favorable: internet access is at the level of 87 percent in France and Spain, and 69 percent in Greece; 15 percent of residents of France and Spain and 12 percent of inhabitants of Greece declared the use of mobile devices to acquire information over last week; using digital platforms to obtain audiovisual communications (video) in the last week was: 49 percent in France; 73 percent in Greece and 70 percent in Spain; the declared use of a podcast (online audio or film publication form) in the last month: 28 percent by the French, 22 percent by Greeks and 40 percent by Spaniards; 11 percent are willing to pay for online information in France and Spain, and 6 percent in Greece. College of Europe Natolin Campus ul. Nowoursynowska 84 PL 02-797 Warsaw, Poland www.coleuropenatolin.eu 10 The main sources of obtaining information in the analysed countries are presented in the table No. 1 (the main source was marked in green). Table No. 1: The most common sources of information retrieval in France, Greece and Spain in 2018 in percentages. France Greece Spain Television 71 67 76 Digital media 68 94 85 (internet and social media) Print media 20 26 51 Social media 36 71 60 Source: own study based on data from Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2018. Data from the table confirm that the tastes of Europeans from different countries are different. Only in France, television remains the main source of information. In Spain, and especially in Greece, it has lost its dominant position. It is also important that the main source of information does not have to be a source assessed as trustworthy. Consumption of social media also differs among the citizens of the countries analysed. Only Facebook consistently occupied the position of the leader used to acquire information, despite the loss of confidence in social networks and numerous bank liquidation cases. College of Europe Natolin Campus ul. Nowoursynowska 84 PL 02-797 Warsaw, Poland www.coleuropenatolin.eu 11 Table No. 2: Consumption of social media in 2018 in France, Greece and Spain in %. Social France Greece Spain networks Informatio All Informatio All Informatio All n informatio n informatio n informatio acquisitio n acquisitio n acquisitio n n n n Facebook 41 63 60 78 48 75 YouTube 22 51 36 79 26 74 Facebook 10 31 22 58 - - Messeng er Viber - - 14 49 - - Twitter 9 16 13 24 22 39 Snapchat 6 15 - - - - WhatsAp 5 19 - - 36 82 p Instagram - - 10 33 8 35 Google - - - - 5 13 Plus Source: own study based on data from Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2018.