Media and Big Tech Initiative

Digital technologies have significantly transformed the information and media landscape and how information is produced, disseminated, accessed, and processed. They have created both opportunities and threats for media diversity, freedom, and independence, as well as for pluralism of opinions and well-informed decision-making. To serve democracy, peace and security, the information environment has to be conducive to pluralism and media freedom, enabling individuals and societies to have access to quality media and public interest content. However, current online information spaces are characterised by powerful gatekeepers, online platforms that often prioritize engagement for advertising profit over accuracy, diversity, and the public interest. A complex relationship has developed between news media and Big Tech shaped by growing media dependencies, ranging from news content visibility, discoverability and prioritization, to pluralism as well as economic and financial aspects.

In an era where Big Tech and AI pose challenges to access to reliable information, the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) and the Forum on Information and Democracy (FID) as an Implementing Partner are launching a new initiative focused on Media & Big Tech. It aims to develop actionable policy guidance for OSCE participating States to enhance the availability and accessibility to quality journalism and reliable, diverse, and public interest information online.

The process is led by an international Steering Committee co-chaired by Dr. Anya Schiffrin, Director of the Technology, Media, and Communications specialization at Columbia University’s School of International Affairs and Prof. Natali Helberger, Professor of Information Law at the Institute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam.

I am delighted to co-chair the Media and Big Tech initiative. This is a crucial and timely topic and I hope our group will provide useful recommendations for OSCE participating States. Protecting public interest information and finding ways governments can support it, without impinging on editorial freedom is one of the key questions of our time.

– Dr. Anya Schiffrin

Access to, and sustainability of trustworthy quality information is a fundamental right and a critical condition for the functioning of democratic societies. This Media & Big Tech initiative is an opportunity to draw lessons from years of research and practical experience, and to make concrete suggestions on how we can transform (Gen)AI and digitisation into opportunities for media and democracy. 

– Professor Natali Helberger

The RFoM and FID will work in close cooperation with a Steering Committee consisting of diverse stakeholders from civil society, academia, and the media, notably:

• Amy Brouillette, Director of Advocacy at the International Press Institute (IPI)
• Mira Milosevic, Executive Director of Brussels-based Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)
• Hanna Möllers, General Counsel of the German Federation of Journalists (DJV)
• Helle Sjovaag, Professor of journalism at the University of Stavanger, Norway
• Damian Tambini, Distinguished Policy Fellow/ Associate Professor at the London School of Economics
• Begaim Usenova, Director of the Media Policy Institute

The Media & Big Tech initiative will be organizing a series of expert roundtables focused on three main topics: 

• Business models, fair compensation and sustainability approaches outside the current platform-driven infrastructure;
• Increasing the visibility of quality journalism online: labeling, trust indicators, and media privileges;
• Policy measures to tackle existing dependencies and promote a healthy online information ecosystem, including ensuring journalistic protections.

In the context of this initiative, the RFoM has issued a call for contributions (ended on 30 November 2024) to engage a variety of stakeholders, including state representatives, practitioners, academics, civil society, and others to collectively address the complex relationship between news media, online platforms, and Big Tech.