For many years, cba.media has been addressing the legal and media policy challenges of the digital media landscape. In addition to hosting a series of international conferences on topics such as copyright in the digital age, free access to information and online archives, platform regulation, and the future of journalism, cba.media launched the “European Cultural Backbone 2.0” initiative in 2021.
As part of this initiative, the anthology “Building a European Digital Public Space” was published, focusing on perspectives on how to counterbalance the monopolies of Big Tech platforms at the European level in terms of diversity of opinion and media. The culmination of these efforts was the international conference “Building a European Cultural Backbone” in Linz, Austria in 2022, where a wide range of civil society actors from across Europe discussed technical and political issues related to these challenges.
In parallel, the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) organized a series of workshops bringing together journalists, researchers, and citizens to discuss an independent European media model. These initiatives eventually led to the establishment of Display Europe in 2023 in collaboration with partners from across Europe. Display Europe is a cooperative media platform presenting content from across Europe in 15 languages. It not only features original productions but also contributions from independent media organizations from various countries. Emphasizing European values and inclusivity, Display Europe utilizes open-source software to distance itself from the unethical data collection practices of major technology companies and to offer users a balanced and trustworthy content selection.
Through grant programs of various sizes, Display Europe enables independent media producers to create and showcase content on the platform. The goal is to make a wide range of European media content accessible, thus breaking through filter bubbles and providing reliable information to citizens across Europe. Display Europe aims to promote a pan-European perspective and create a space for open discussions on common European interests. The platform seeks to strengthen trust in public discussions and media and to position itself against populist ideas and the marginalization of certain groups in traditional media.
With Display Europe, we aim to usher in a new era in European media where diversity, inclusivity, and public values take center stage.
