Eurocentrique

Never waste a good (media) crisis

eurocentrique — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:51:47 +0000

OR
How I learned to start reading every George, Nick’s and Harry’s blog and stopped worrying about the closure of newspapers

The first time I saw any posts from the bloggingportal, was not online but in print. Suprisingly and by no movements of my own either. The then Editor of New Europe Newspaper Alexandros Coronakis had decided that what we needed was a page for blogs focusing on Europe in the newspaper.
I agreed, and would proofread them meticulously for want of any askew posts by extreme anti European supposed ‘Think Tanks’, to the bloggingportal’s usual, great quality, highly researched pieces by those working in the fields we were covering in great detail.
Since 2008 I have been overly worried about the demise of the media profession. I was in the newspaper business and it was difficult, times were tough and it was obvious to everyone.
Even in ‘the land that capitalism forgot’ as @antigonakee so colorfully puts her finger on it, our competition had almost halved its staff, and our online competition had taken a very long summer break in 2009, the others too in Brussels showing signs of strain by giving into other funding streams and business models, things were unsettled and the news was only becoming more technical and upsetting, for Europe, for Greece for everyone.
Social media and incorporating blogs were a necessity to push through the myre and see the facts.
I remember we at New Europe even tried blogs ourselves, for the columnists, at an initial re-fresh of the site in 2009, that didn’t last long for me, some others like Andy Carling used it greatly.
As I’m reminded often by Mathew Lowry – Euractiv’s blogactiv.eu has increased in scope greatly since he was there for the launch.
The traditional media’s (FT, The Economist and The Guardian’s fantastic live feeds as major events happen) blogs also seem to now be benefitiing form this four year old shift in new media.
Papers and practices, and the demise of print media and shifts in funding I am sure are not news to you any longer, this has been a much publicised downsizing that only leads to few avenues for those that still need to tell the stories/truth out there.
My focus was to bring forth what I could from the Greek bloggosphere, since 2010 when I became an editor, as I understood that language and could. I havent’ been as proficient in that as I would have liked, in part as it invariably became daunting.
I believe the Greek media has suffered so greatly that so many articulate and easily expressive citizens, writers, out of work journalists have found recourse in Blogs. I am convinced I have probably clicked on only five percent of what is online from Greece and am constantly overwhelmed by the calibre of the blogs posted for example on my twitter feed or Facebook wall on a daily basis.
Some like Troktiko.gr have become legendary as the blogger/journo who started it was shot and killed in 2010 causing a mass outcry (the reasons are not solely the blog, they remain mirky).
Others like Pitsirikos.gr or Nikos blog just as well received, but thousands more sprouted and continue to daily, till now.
The power of the blogger in Greece has grown fiercly as the newspapers increasingly became biased, as well as the media channels, leaving the public to wonder about where objectivity was to come from. The ‘truth’ had become a dream of the past as all felt distrust to be the status quo, not only of the media but the powers that be, that had in loose terms, squandered their money or let their society arrive at such huge indebtedness.
Greece has caught up with the online European political sphere, especially since 2008 with an amazing outpouring of emotion in response to all of the above. Suffering a public flogging repeatedly over the economical strength of the country has affected every part of society, and those with internet access and the willingness to write have been prolific; there are many of those.
Just before Christmas I was asked my an Athenian Journalist Dimitris Perakis to join their network and new media portal whose purpose is to bring fact based news to the fore, in a not-for-profit paradigm. I was swayed, said yes but have to organise the details this year, for Greece it really is a brand new model, staying outside of Trade Unions’ or large Media blocks and keeping the news independent.
Bloggingportal should see more Greek blogs in 2012, I feel they will be even more powerful in this fourth year of the economic crisis and the bailouts hang in the balance.
They are not only informative and factual but have now become necessary.

Happy Third Birthday Blogginportal.eu as the Greeks say, ‘may you live to be 1000′!

We've come a long way baby

Sarajevo OSCE delves into SE EU’s media self-censorship

eurocentrique — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:48:01 +0000

Censorship and self-censorship take centre stage in a first of its kind conference taking place in Sarajevo, 13 – 14 October as the state of (independent) public service broadcasting, challenges to the legal environment and the economic constraints of media and employment conditions for members of the media in South Eastern Europe are explored in a conversation led by the OSCE.

“Politicians must understand that media are not their private property,” said the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatović at the event.

“On the contrary, any democracy relies on media as a watchdog for governments and businesses,” said Mijatović.

Back in April 2011 the Friedrich Ebert Foundation – Regional Project South-East Europe commissioned the Institute of European Media Law to conduct a study not only to explore the market and legal conditions of the media sector in the countries concerned, but also identify suitable remedies that could be suggested in order to help improve, and overcome possible shortcomings in, the situation actually encountered.

In the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina for example Radenko Udovicic found that despite 11 daily newspapers and 20 periodic publications, “there is no law which directly regulates the operation of press media outlets. Newspapers are registered at cantonal and entity
level. The issue of journalistic professionalism and ethics is resolved through the Press Code of BiH, based on self-regulation,” says the report.

“This region has seen enough fragmentation and incitement to discord. The media play a leading role in promoting intercultural understanding and reconciliation in defending their own freedom,” the OSCE Representative sought to underline.

The OSCE Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media in cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina are the patrons of this “OSCE South East Europe Media Conference in Sarajevo”, held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on 13-14 October 2011.

Dunja Mijatovic, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Fletcher M. Burton, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH and Peter Sorensen, Head of EU Delegation/EUSR BiH gave openning remarks.

Journalists, academics and expats in South East Europe gathered to discuss challenges and ways forward hoping to contribute to raising awareness among decision makers and help identify possible solutions to the problems.

All details on the conference can be found here: oscebih.org/Page.aspx?pageid=8&lang=EN

A first conference, was ended with a first joint and signed declaration of all present, “On the Road to Media Freedom.”

Let’s revisit this with time to see if progress is made as further Blakan nations get green lighted for accession talks to the EU (see Montenegro, 12 October).

Also, interesting to watch will be Al Jazeera’s future influence in the region, after several hiccups, it opens its doors to offices in Sarajevo, Zagreb and Belgrade on November 1, sources in Sarajevo have reported to Eurocentrique.

Alia Papageorgiou in Brussels

World’s Press comes together in Austria

eurocentrique — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:12:02 +0000

A lot has been said over the last three years on how far the media has been impacted by the economic crisis and now the Editors of newspapers worldwide will gather in Austria to answer this.

Prince Michael of Liechtenstein has also joined the programme for the 63rd World Newspaper Congress, where he will join news industry notables is a discussion of the world economic crisis and its impact on the news publishing industry.

Prince Michael, who heads a financial services and trust company in the tiny Alpine principality and is President of the European Center for Austrian Economics Foundation, a financial think tank, will be joined in the discussion by: Juan Luis Cebrián, CEO of PRISA Group in Spain, the publisher of El Pais; Gregor Waller, former Vice President of Strategy & Innovation for Axel Springer’s Welt Group; and Abdullah S. Dahlan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the College of Business Administration in Saudi Arabia.

The session will be moderated by Greg Beitchman, Global Editors of the Reuters News Agency.

Liechtenstein had long carried an international reputation as a tax haven that was criticised for a lack of transparency, but since the 2009 financial crisis has signed tax information sharing agreements with a number of countries. In May 2009 it was removed from the OECD blacklist of uncooperative countries.

The Congress, World Editors Forum and Info Services Expo 2011, the annual global summit meetings of the world’s press organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), will be held from 12 to 15 October next in Vienna, Austria. There is still time to register: full programme details and registration information can be found at http://tinyurl.com/6x223jy

Other Congress covers all issues of pressing concern to the global newspaper and news publishing community. Highlights include:

- A session dedicated to digital innovations, featuring one of the most innovative publishers in Asia, the first tablet-only newspaper, and industry ‘frenemy’ Google, to examine trends and success factors in digital, what new business and revenue models are promising and the role of social media. Speakers include Mariam Mammen Mathew, Chief Operating Officer of Manorama Online in India, Rebecca Grossman-Cohen, Director of Marketing for The Daily, Madhav Chinnappa, Strategic Partner Development Manager for Google Books & News and Reggie Bradford, CEO of the US-based social media management company Vitrue Inc.

- An examination of new business opportunities, both traditional for newspaper companies and entirely new as well. As the newspaper business is no long based on the simple revenue model of advertising and circulation revenue, many new business and revenue models are emerging. Session speakers include Ravi Dhariwal, CEO of The Times of India, Soheil Dastyari, CEO of Gruner+Jahr Corporate Editors in Germany and Urs Gossweiler, CEO of Gossweiler Media in Switzerland.

- A session dedicated to repositioning newspapers in the media market, featuring Rolv Erik Ryssdal, CEO of Schibsted, Jeongdo Hong, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of the JoongAng Media Network in Korea, Hanzade Dogan Boyer, Chairwoman of the Board of the Dogan Media Group in Turkey, Wilfred David Kiboro, Chairman of the Board of Nation Media Group in Kenya, Eugen Russ, Publisher and CEO of Vorarlberger Media in Austria, and Damian Kudriavtsev, CEO of Kommersant Publishing House in Russia.

Back in the saddle again…. Why Hermes is bringing their game – to you

eurocentrique — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 10:26:21 +0000

Hermes is taking their handi-craftsmen on the road to show you why their products are worth so much - it's all done by amazing experts and professionals - by hand.


Hot off their showing in China, then the US (Washington DC and New York City) and now Brussels last weekend, the show is about to hit three Paris shops and the factory/work area Hermes has in Dourdogne, France to showcase their craft and their craftsmen, all together Hermes employs 2300 highly skilled and crafty professionals who make retail art all of us would love to have.
They were all set to hit Japan after France but this will have to be postponed following the tragedy there.Click to view slideshow."]Making silk ties in Dourdogne by hand is the work of approximately 20 women in the Hermes atelier who hand make the silk ties. The only way to clean them according to one of them is 'at the dry cleaners' .Northern Exposure referenceA screen designer at Hermes shows us the art of covering each plate with it's own color - describes how each screen will be responsible for its own particular imprint of the ink they make in their in house atelier and counts out the 33 colors used on this particular design - maximum colors that can be used on the scarves are 44. It can take up to three months to produce just one.Devaux - has wanted to be an "horologien" - a watchmaker - since he was 13 years old growing up in Switzerland. He went to University for four years to achieve this title and is now one of the four head Horologists in the Hermes watchmaking studio in Paris, the actual watchmakers being a team of 10 then expanded to 100 people including the design and communications colleagues of his that help make it a 360 success story. He calls it "the best job in the world", has designed one of the faces and is besotted with minuscule blue colored nails and decorative - Hermes engraved metallic plates, as you would be in his place. Hermes has been making watches for the last 50 years, beginning with a Swiss independent manufacturer and then reining it in house for the last 35 years.The handbag maker says it takes him 18 hours to complete a bag - from start to finish 18 hours. The Marroquinerie in Paris is staffed with some passionate needle whisperers.[polldaddy poll=5113934
	How much would you pay for a handbag?Market Research



Van Rompuy speaks out on Belgian politics
eurocentrique — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:19:26 +0000
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council has finally spoken out about the current state of Belgian Politics calling the situation “pathetic” and “pitiful” in a rare comment on what has been his prime concern not more than a year and a half ago.
When Van Rompuy had taken the reins of Europe, as it were, I had written a news piece directly after the press conference and events that led to his and Catherine Ashton’s surprise appointment.
I remember President Jose Manuel Barroso was holding a  Rubic’s cube and the Swedish Prime Minister was chuffed to be able to be a part of this historic step into the future playing out under his Presidency.
The column then could not help but see the obvious impasse that Belgium was going to face following Herman Van Rompuy’s new appointment (I had just referenced the European Project):
“Belgian Prime Minister Herman Von Rompuy, is the salvager of the equally unbalanced  ‘Belgian project’ who came in as a final sigh of relief earlier this year to Belgian’s salvation seeing as the government had been without one for 200 days. Unfortunately for Belgium he cannot hold a national office at the same time as being President.
President Van Rompuy takes up the position 1 December and seemed more than keen after being voted in by consensus from the 27 heads of state of Europe in what was one of the shortest council meetings in the past years.
“Even though it was more than difficult to have to leave the running of my country, I accepted the position and I was thankful for the honor that was bestowed on me. I look at this as a compliment to Belgium which has dedicated itself constantly to the construction of Europe. I didn’t ask for this position and I didn’t lobby for it in away but as of tonight I will take it on with conviction, I take it on with enthusiasm,” Van Rompuy said.”
Today Belgian daily Le Soir quotes him as finding the political impasse ‘pathetic’ and yet at the same time the governance and economy rests more than safe.
In the same article the current ‘stand-in’ Prime Minister Yves Leterme who had previouly quit twice is quoted as saying that coallition building will take up to another three months.
On April 9 Belgium marked 300 days without government. Eleven days before this it had entered into the Guiness World Book of Records for the longest any country has been without a functioning government.
On that same night of November 9, 2009 when President Van Rompuy’s position had been announced Sofia Cotsoglou of Radio Contact had told me that she was as a result worried, as it would be difficult again to find a suitable Prime Minister for Belgium, this small country which has a three part federation, three official languages, and whose strong convictions whether be it from the Flemish or the Wallons or the Brusselites had left them in a powerless impasse for a historic period of non-governance.

I have often thought of that night as a direct result of what is still happening today, an implacable split country still trying to find it’s key negotiator as one such person went on to serve Europe.
Last week I asked for an interview with Herman Van Rompuy to discuss this new Guiness Book of World Records feat but the timing was not right (he was visiting Athens).
Hoping to talk to him on this, Europe and diplomacy soonest.
NOTE: On the same night – European Institution and European Council employees were conversely 

very happy as this was a step forward for the Lisbon Treaty and Europe, Jaana Pohjanmaki, An employee of the European Council from Finland, speaking in a personal capacity, said that “we have waited so long for this; it really is a very big night for Europe. It will mean coherence, progress and a great change; the Civil servants of Europe have been waiting a long time for this and will be very happy!”

Coherence? Progress? Great change?
We will ask the President when we have our chance to see him.

         


Launching Soon
eurocentrique — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:10:19 +0000

For those who have popped by I would like to say come back soon. Eurocentrique is under development but will emerge before the summer with plenty of surprises in store.
Have a brililant day!
Alia

         


Belgian gay couple bring home 1st surrogate from Ukraine
eurocentrique — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:33:03 +0000
The first case of its kind in Belgium where a same sex wedded male couple have battled with courts and legislators to bring to their home a surrogate baby born to a Ukrainian woman has ended happily.
Following statements by the Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Steven Vanackere of Belgium two weeks ago during the couple’s court case that “this should not create a precedent, and nor should we enter into an era of exploitation of the Eastern European coutnries for surrogate babies,”
Samuel, aged two
 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has in the end handed the now two year old toddler a Belgian Passport.
The couple Peter Meurrens and Laurent Ghilain have now also welcomed their son Samuel Gilhain to Belgium at Zaventem Airport on February 28, 2010 and are overwhelmed by the final decisions of both the High Court of Belgium and the Foreign Ministry.
Peter Meurrens commented on his Facebook status, “So many people to thank. Where to start? As for this weekend : Celine Verbrouck de Blanmailland (our pretty, intelligent and kind lawyer, the best !), Kurt Wertelaers (support, discrecy, pictures) and Connections (or how to synchronise fathers travelling to meet their son “halfway”). Second shift for tomorrow  .”
Their story was precedent making for Belgium as Samuel was born to a surrogate mother in Ukraine in November 2008 and bureaucratic hurdles kept him from lavign the country since, reported the New Zealand Herald on February 28.
Following the Belgian court’s decision the Foreign Ministry issued the passport necessary for the child to travel.

         


It’s been a while
eurocentrique — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:30:23 +0000
I realised when my ‘about’ section is still talking about the European elections! Will update more often I think – if only to make your visits worthwhile.
Brussels is now getting ready for its new Commission and everyone’s abuzz with speculation – who, what, when, where. All up for grabs? Or all long decided?
Also, Brussels Winter Wonderland comes to life again with the centre turning into a veritable marche de noel and the Grand Place into a kaleidoscope of colors. Can’t wait.
From the European Council building - the night the new Monsieur President was chosen - Mr Herman Achilles Van Rompuy

         


Michael Jackson Tribute – Cinquantenaire Park, Brussels | Demotix.com
eurocentrique — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:21:40 +0000
Michael Jackson Tribute – Cinquantenaire Park, Brussels | Demotix.com
Shared via AddThis

         


Experiences
eurocentrique — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:06:46 +0000
It’s not everyday a Foreign Ministry offers to introduce it’s country to me and thus at the behest of my employers I found myself on a plane to Ukraina earlier this year. All I can say is I welcomed the change, the insight and the opportunity. Interesting place that Ukraine