Levelling the playing field

Bernard Marchant, CEO of the Rossel Group, highlighted in particular the difficulty of finding the best journalists and identified the search for talent as the key issue for him in 2022. “What is important” , Thomas Leysen added, “is to consolidate in a way that does not impoverish the quality of the journalism” . He shared that Mediahuis companies have completely separate newsrooms but try to maximise synergies in technology, printing, subscription management etc. “The journalists are completely independent”, he underlined. “We have rules on how editors are appointed; if we messed with that, we would have a large outcry, but the temptation has not arisen; it is part of who we are.” Victoria Svanberg of NWT made the same point: “we attach great importance to the independence of the journalists.” Thomas Leysen of Mediahuis believes that a free press will only survive if it is a viable business in private sector hands, and in fact, a number of European companies have demonstrated that media can be a viable growing business. He argued that government ownership is not a good solution. Mr Leysen announced that Mediahuis has set up Pluralis in conjunction with several foundations as an investment vehicle to invest in media pluralism where it is under threat.5 Grants can help support media organisations, Leysen said, but investment that brings networks, experience and digital skills is a better way to help media companies remain independent and be as financially viable as possible.

A common thread running through a number of presentations was the need for a level regulatory playing field, and the European Commission’s role in providing it. A number of speakers welcomed the Media and Audiovisual Action Plan. Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, was pleased that some of the “solutions that have long been suggested by experts are now being taken seriously by policymakers.” “We want all players to have to play by the same rules, ” said Gilles Pélisson of TF1, stressing the importance of the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act in levelling the playing field. His particular concerns were having fair rules on advertising and having access to the rights to major sports and other events because they bring people together, “thus helping fulfil television’s social function” . Fabrice Fries of AFP also addressed what he wants to see from regulation and the regulators, i.e. the transparency of algorithms. “The business of disinformation itself is financed by advertising”, he said. According to him, achieving such transparency will require on the one hand the cooperation of the platforms, and on the other regulators that have the capacity and skills to regulate. He welcomed the European Commission initiative to set up national hubs of academia, researchers and journalists working together better to understand conspiracy theories and sources of disinformation by country. Joanna Krawczyk, Chairwoman of the Leading European Newspaper Alliance, stressed the importance of this policy-making taking all stakeholders into account, including local and regional players who she feels are often left out of the decision-making process. She also emphasised the importance of finance for operational costs. “80% of news media are struggling right now with operational costs, but the support we received is project-based, and does not add to sustainability.”

5 https://www.pluralis.media/