10:30 – 12:30

Workshop · Hacking Social Media Algorithms to Push Independent Media Counter-Narratives 

In our hyper-connected society, almost everything is done via social media platforms, which have become more than just a way to keep in touch with friends or acquaintances, but also environments for creating content, meeting and building communities, and sharing information. Their global nature, which implies a high degree of connectivity, allows information to circulate around the world in a matter of seconds, increasing the impact of the creator. When that creator is a media outlet, there is a real interest in this dissemination power. However, social media platforms are built on algorithms that don’t always make sense and can sometimes shadow some information. With these platforms owned by billionaires with political and economic interests—more or less clear, like Elon Musk’s—how can independent media trust these platforms with their qualitative information? But also, how can you exist outside these algorithms? These are complex questions that the Belgian association petites singularités, which works and thinks about digital practices and their alternatives, is exploring.

Host:
Ada Wojtowicz (petites singularités | BE)

10:30 – 12:30

Workshop • Rethinking the Newsroom and Its Biases 

Racism is a system. This means that our social system is organised and structured around a white norm and gaze. Anyone who is seen to be outside this norm is then systematically discriminated against, pushed away, and marginalised. In the media, this means that most newsrooms are predominantly—if not exclusively—white. This is even more true as you move up the scale of responsibility. In Europe, BIPoC journalists are reporting in a racist environment. Many of them have been speaking out for years without any real change and awareness in newsrooms. In the last year, however, a collective approach has emerged in Europe, notably with the creation of ADIM in Belgium (Association for Diversity and Inclusion in the Media) and AJAR in France (Association of Antiracist and BIPoC Journalists), which actively tries to break the isolation of these journalists and to give voice to this media criticism. More recently, the French media Mediapart has appointed journalist Sabrina Kassa as its editorial manager for racial issues to monitor any racist bias in its content and journalistic practices and to develop its coverage of these issues. Will this inspire other newsrooms to take action?

Host:
Khedidja Zerouali (AJAR / Mediapart | FR)

10:30 – 12:30

Workshop • Helping Young Europeans to Break Boundaries with Cross-Border Journalism