The European Excellence Exchange in Journalism (E3J) aims to combine the potential of European values and cross-border collaboration for better journalism and, as a result, a better-informed public. E3J provides a single-entry point for all types of media organisations, networks, and individuals to connect, based on mutual trust and common rules. Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) and the Austrian community media training and research organisation COMMIT collaborate in the implementation of the Community Media part of the E3J with a focus on Public Health, Media Literacy and Community Media.
Consortium partners are RSF, Free Press Unlimited, COPEAM, COMMIT & CMFE. E3J is co-funded by the EU.
Community media are a tool of communication for people in hundreds of communities which are run by the community, for the community and covering issues of importance around the community. Community media lend themselves as effective platforms for sensitive issues that can be hard to take in, that may be tabooed or connected with stigma. Public Health is one such area.
The important role of trustworthy media and journalism as a source of credible information became evident again in the context of Covid 19. While on the one hand the use of trustworthy media increased, the extent and preparation of disinformation also increased vehemently. Media and information literacy (MIL) is an important field of action here as well as community engagement to build trust around issues of importance to all.
Public health as a topical strand within the E3J addresses the discussion on health issues in a wide and holistic way. This encompasses much more than the goal of being healthy and refers to external living conditions such as climate and clean environment, social aspects such as poverty, comprehensive access to the health system for all but also the factual and evidence-based discussion of medical findings and ways to counter disinformation. As such it touches almost all the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and as WHO underlines: “Public health is ultimately a political choice.”
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA.