Arturas Tereskinas
My 2001OSI Policy Fellowship research demonstrated that hate speech, xenophobia, homophobia and persistentlystereotypical portrayals of ethnic and sexual minorities still dominate the Lithuanian mass media, and that the underrepresentation and negative portrayals of ethnic and sexual minorities in the media result in increased discrimination and undermine beneficial public policy.The media help focus our attention on specific problems and public policy issues, that is, set the public agenda. Therefore, by not paying nearly enough attention to ethnic and sexual minorities in the everyday situations, media also participate in their marginalization.
Growing consciousness of social diversity, including ethnicity, sexuality, and gender, in Eastern Europe, however, reinforces the necessity for more systematic research on minority coverage in the press and TV in different countries. In evaluating my work my OSI mentors emphasized the need to conduct comparative analyses of ethnic and sexual minorities in the mass media in Eastern Europe in order to design a multifaceted, comprehensive and long-term research and advocacy program encompassing a comprehensive minority politics. Although there are differences as well as similarities in the ways sexual and ethnic minorities are treated in the media, the invisibility and marginalization work against numerous groups, including gays, lesbians, ethnic minorities and women. Thus, it is essential not only to design different sets of policy recommendations for each minority group but also to identify common strategies to enhance the visibility and positive representations of various minorities in mass media.
The objectives of my project are 1) to compare and evaluate research on media and minorities conducted in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia; 2) to propose and draft general guidelines for the coverage of different minorities in the region; 2) to enhance professional training and multicultural awareness of journalists in Lithuania and the region by preparing a course tentatively entitled Mass Media, Minorities and Civil Society in Eastern Europe; and 3) to continue the extensive advocacy efforts by organizing a seminar on minority groups and the media in Eastern Europe.
My
initial overview of the media policy documents in Lithuania, Poland and
Latvia demonstrated that existing
media codes do not have precise and extensive
guidelines concerning the portrayal of ethnic, sexual or gender groups
that would commit the media to promoting
equitable, accurate, and sensitive portrayals of minorities.
Thus, the methodology of this part of my work will include the summary
of research on ethnic and sexual minorities in the media andthe
comparison of media legislations and media codes of three countries.
There is some research done on ethnic minorities in the Polish mass media
and ethnic minority legislation in Latvia by the OSI Policy Fellows that
will be beneficial to my comparative research. During my work, I will also
conduct semi-structured
interviews with key players in the formation
of media and minority policies
in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. This part of my project will target such
media organizations as the Ethics Commission
of Journalists in Lithuania, the Media Council
of Ethics in Poland and the Latvian National Council for TV and Radio. My
knowledge of Russian, Polish and Latvian will greatly help my reseach.
The comparison of three different countries, Lithuania, Poland and Latvia with the large ethnic minority populations and sizeable gay and lesbian groups, will allow me to develop media guidelines for minority-sensitive reporting to be included in the codes of ethics and potentially media legislation in the above countries. The development of such guidelines is very important in the light of the European Union accession process. The media situation differs in Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. However, with the intensification of cooperation and European integration, the media of these countries are increasingly facing similar problems that require coordinated approaches. The comparative analyses of three countries will help to consider and introduce initiatives and measures promoting multicultural and multi-ethnic tolerance relevant to many Eastern and Central European countries.
The
second goal of my project is to enhance professional training and multicultural
awareness of journalists in Lithuania and the region. The
ongoing process of formation of the civil society in the region depends
to a large degree on the development of truly professional, pluralistic
and socially accountable media. My
comparative research will enable me to prepare a course entitled Mass
Media, Minorities and Civil Society in Eastern Europe for the second largest
school of journalism in Lithuania, the Graduate
School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Vytautas Magnus University
in Kaunas and thus help
educate and sensitize the next generation of journalists to such issues.
Such course could also be taught at schools of journalism in Poland and
Latvia.
In my project, I will also attend to both the claims of minorities and the promotion of responsible democratic citizenship through the extensive advocacy efforts which I started in 2001. This is the third objective of my project. The Center for Public Policy Strategies (CPPS), an NGO that I founded, will organize an international seminar with Eastern European colleagues entitled Minority Politics and Media Standards in Eastern Europe and a seminar on sexual minorities and the media Homophobia and Hate Speech in the Public Discourse. The purpose of the conference and seminar is to increase awareness of minority issues and to establish strategies for gaining publicity for minorities in larger news media. Proceedings of the conference and seminar will be widely distributed to the academic community, public authorities and media institutions as well as to minority NGOs. Both seminar and conference will also contribute to the establishment of the active networking of the media researchers in the region.
By raising the awareness of media scholars, policy makers and minority organizations toward all aspects related to racism, xenophobia and homophobia in the media in Lithuania and the region, both my research and advocacy efforts would promote more visible minority coverage and find effective ways to influence media policies and practices.