MEDIADELCOM CONSORTIUM MEETING in Sofia (Bulgaria)

Researchers from 14 EU countries discuss in Sofia the risks and opportunities facing the European media.

Representatives from 14 European countries are gathering today in Sofia, within the framework of the Mediadelcom project – «Critical study of media risks and opportunities for deliberative communication: Scenarios for the development of the European media landscape», the organizer’s report.

The project is supported by the EU program for funding scientific research and innovation «Horizon 2020». 17 teams from Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic and Sweden participate in it .

The Italian team, made up of Martín Oller Alonso, is headed by Dr. Sergio Splendore, a teacher at University of Milan. The member of the advisory board, Prof. Daniel Halin from the University of San Diego, California, will also participate in the meeting. One of the most famous researchers of modern media systems.

Mediadelcom starts in March 2021 and runs until March 2024, coordinated by the University of Tartu (Estonia). The aim is to develop a diagnostic tool (multi-scenario construction model) for politicians, educators, bodies and institutions, media experts and journalists, which enables a comprehensive assessment of risks and opportunities regarding deliberative communication and, accordingly, social cohesion in Europe. In deliberative communication, different ideas are articulated and listened to. Decisions are made after reasonable discussion. The media can support society’s potential in this direction by providing true facts and provoking dialogue and rational discussion between different social groups.

The participants in the meeting in Sofia will be welcomed by the dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication of the SU Prof. Dr. Veselin Valkanova . Within the framework of the forum, from September 12 to 16, the interim results of the research and the main conclusions will be discussed in four areas – legal and regulatory practice, trends in journalism, media users, media competences and literacy. The future research and publication activities of the project participants will also be discussed.