08.09.10: Parliament wants media to 'better communicate' EU - 0 views
www.euractiv.com/...ter-communicate-eu-news-497550
eu-policies communicationpolicy europeanparliament socialmedia EU2.0
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Better communication of EU affairs by public service broadcasters is key to bridging the gap between the European Union and its citizens, said the European Parliament yesterday (7 September), highlighting in particular the "huge potential" of social media to reach out to young people.
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While acknowledging the "immense potential" of social media like Facebook and Twitter to reach young people, MEPs warned that "their reliability as sources cannot always sufficiently be guaranteed," that they "cannot be considered to be professional media" and may "give rise to serious breaches of journalistic ethics". "Caution is required when taking up these new tools," the report declares, stressing "the importance of drawing up a code of ethics applicable to new media".
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Other more controversial proposals survived, however: the Parliament advocated "incorporating the EU more fully into all educational curricula" and teaching in schools "courses in journalism using new media".
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The report "was initially meant to look at ways new media was changing journalism. However, it became a wish list for improving how MEPs and the EU institutions are reported in the media," complained the European Conservatives and Reformists group in a statement. The adopted report encourages member states to nominate "specialised European affairs officers" responsible for explaining the implications of EU policies on the ground.