SDEPS introduced at PublicSpaces Conference #1

On 11 and 12 March 2021, the first PublicSpaces Conference took place, organised by the Dutch PublicSpaces network, online, of course, but mentally in the Netherlands. Video recordings and summaries are now available.

It started with keynotes by Katja Bego, Paul Keller and Eli Pariser. Next was a number of short project presentations, including an update (starting at 01:13) from the Beyond Platforms Initative by Kemal Görgülü.

The final event of the first day was the Panel discussion on the need for Shared Digital European Public Spaces (SDEPS). The idea of a European SDEPS coalition was publicly introduced here for the first time.

Continue reading SDEPS introduced at PublicSpaces Conference #1

Wilhelm’s wish works wonders? New strategy paper for a European Public Sphere published

UPDATE
An English language version of the paper was published today:
European Public Sphere. Towards Digital Sovereignty for Europe
and of the press release, 16.07.2020

The director of the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation, Ulrich Wilhelm, had started his ARD presidency (2018-2019) with the large-scale project of a “European super media library”. Over the course of his presidency, this evolved into a European infrastructure for digital media platforms.

Today, the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech) has released the results of a project group led by Henning Kagermann, Chairman of the acatech Board of Trustees, and Ulrich Wilhelm:

Henning Kagermann, Ulrich Wilhelm (eds.)
European Public Sphere. Shaping Europe’s digital sovereignty
acatech Impuls, 14 July 2020
press release,
(in German)
Continue reading Wilhelm’s wish works wonders? New strategy paper for a European Public Sphere published

Do Facebook, Google & Co. threaten our democracy? Event by IÖR, Cologne, 26.11.2019

Do Facebook, Google & Co. threaten our democracy?
Challenges for Public-Service Media on the Internet (in German)
Symposium on media policy by Initiativkreis öffentlich-rechtlicher Rundfunk (IÖR; Initiative Public-Service Broadcast)
Stadtbibliothek Köln
Josef-Haubrich-Hof 1, 50676 Köln
26 November 2019, 13.00h
registration free of charge untill 20.11.2019 here.

There will be presentations by Armin Grunwald, Head of the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis Karlsruhe (ITAS) and Head of the Office for Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB) and by Klaus Unterberger, Head of the Public Value Competence Centre of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF). For the following discussion, they will be joined by Constanze Kurz, speaker of the Chaos Computer Club and team member of the internet platform netzpolitik.org, Florian Hager, programme manager of the young content network of ARD and ZDF “funk”, and Dieter Dörr, professor for media law at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. The discussion will be moderated by freelance journalist Brigitte Baetz. Continue reading Do Facebook, Google & Co. threaten our democracy? Event by IÖR, Cologne, 26.11.2019

DGB: Idea and reality of a European media platform, 31.10.2019

Idea and reality of a European media platform

Thursday, 31 October 2019, 18.00 hrs
DGB Federal Executive Committee, Henriette-Herz-Platz 2, 10178 Berlin, Room 4
Please register at andrea.schiele@dgb.de.

rbb director Patricia Schlesinger, media sociologist Volker Grassmuck, communication and media scientist Barbara Thomaß and Ver.di’s head of media and journalism Cornelia Berger will discuss the following questions.
Continue reading DGB: Idea and reality of a European media platform, 31.10.2019

PublicSpaces.net at MozFest House, 21 October 2019

Public Spaces, Private Data: can we build a better internet?
21 October 2019, 09:00-18:00, Royal Society of Arts (RSA), 8 John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6EZ.

The internet has enormous potential to be a force for public good, with many initiatives working to create an open, inclusive and trustworthy network. PublicSpaces.net and BBC Research and Development have worked together to organise this one day conference at MozFest House during Mozilla Foundation’s week-long open internet festival.

It will explore ways in which we could make a new internet that strengthens the public domain and deliver public value online, in line with PublicSpaces commitment to providing an ecosystem of alternative digital tools that serve the common interest and does not seek profit.

Continue reading PublicSpaces.net at MozFest House, 21 October 2019

Barbara Thomass, EPOS: The „European Public Open Space”

The ORF Public Value Report 2019 in June 2019 had given a preview of the ideas on the future of the broadcast system of Barbara Thomass, Professor for International Comparison of Media Systems at Ruhr University Bochum.

ORF Annual Public Value Study “Alliances, cooperations, platforms. Public Service Oriented Media Quality in the Networked Society”Now, her full paper “The Broadcast System of Society 3.0” came out in the ORF Annual Public Value Study “Alliances, cooperations, platforms. Public Service Oriented Medie Quality in the Networked Society”. Continue reading Barbara Thomass, EPOS: The „European Public Open Space”

Beyond Platforms Initiative launched

Beyond Platforms is a new initiative for devising a European digital public sphere. It was started by Bertram Gugel, Markus Heidmeier and Florian Hager. On 1 and 2 August 2019 the first workshop of the Beyond Platforms Initiative took place at Alex Berlin. 40 inspired and inspiring people worked in teams on six thematic areas: Values, Infrastructure, Contents/Business, Experience, Dissemination and Storytelling. Continue reading Beyond Platforms Initiative launched

“The Broadcast System of Society 3.0”, Barbara Thomass in the ORF Public Value Report

The just released ORF Public Value Report 2019 makes prominent mention of EPOS. Under Remit #14 Innovation it gives excerpts from the Annual Public Value Study “Alliances, cooperations, platforms” that will be published in fall 2019. We document in English translation the contribution by Barbara Thomass, Professor for International Comparison of Media Systems at the Institute for Media Studies, University of Bochum, Germany. Continue reading “The Broadcast System of Society 3.0”, Barbara Thomass in the ORF Public Value Report

An Internet Directorate – a path towards EPOS?

The technological possibilities of digitisation, networking, in particular the (mobile) Internet as well as mobile apps and terminals, require a new understanding of a public law approach to interactive and/or audiovisual media. In order to do justice to the digital potential for the generation and distribution of specific and general public content, we call for a separate Internet fund to be allocated from the broadcasting fee. Continue reading An Internet Directorate – a path towards EPOS?

Public-civic initiative „PUBLIC OPEN SPACE“ launches vision

The PUBLIC OPEN SPACE Vision is the result of ongoing deliberations among representatives of science, public-service and non-commercial media as well as civil society organisations from Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It was presented to the public for the first time during the Communication Science Days 2019 of the Austrian Society of Communication Science (ÖGK) and the Institute for Journalism and Communication Science of the University of Vienna on 26 April 2019. See the list of initial signatories. We are documenting it here English translation. Continue reading Public-civic initiative „PUBLIC OPEN SPACE“ launches vision