Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins has welcomed a report from the European Parliament's Culture Committee on the importance of a strong community media presence in the EU. The report, which will be adopted tomorrow, highlights the need for further support from national governments and also encourages the European institutions to do more to consider the needs of community media outlets when drawing up communication strategies in the future.
Mr Higgins said: “I am delighted that the parliament has recognised the value of community media outlets across the EU. In Ireland we have a vibrant and important local and community media sector that if used and aided correctly could do a lot to bridge the information gap between the EU and local communities.
“We saw that the No side in the Lisbon Treaty were able to spread so much incorrect information about the EU because between referendums there is an obvious information gap between Irish citizens and the EU. I think that we need local media to engage more in European issues but also for Europe to engage more with local media and I think this report will be the beginning of a stronger relationship between the two.
“The report also rightly points out that local media play an important role in providing communities with an identity and in analysing how larger, sometimes global, issues will have an effect on the community. Community media can also do a lot to foster social inclusion and are particularly valuable for housebound people who would otherwise be cut off from local news.
“The report also asks for the Commission in future years to allocate funding for community media under the old Interreg branch of EU funds which is now the Regions for Economic Change fund. Community media are important and we need to be more aware of their needs while the EU needs to be more inclusive and accessible, so that we get EU information to local communities more often than we are doing now.”
