Philosophers Move On to Ponder Media
The last day of the conference on intercultural dialogue entitled "Europe, the World and Humanity in the 21st Century" focused on the history and future of the idea of a united Europe, and the role of media in contemporary society.
Attended by prominent European philosophers and publicists, including Adam Michnik, the editor of Gazeta Wyborcza, a major Polish newspaper, the conference looked at the tension between the religious institutions and the future of Europe, represented by the Lisbon Treaty.
According to Michnik, religious organisations in Poland feel threatened by the treaty and conceive it as an "assault on Catholic morality." He further disagrees with opinions of certain European politicians who have sidelined the role of the Church.
However, the EU is somewhat schizophrenic, as European values originate from its diverse history. Indeed, "Europe is an art of settling debts with history," he says. Europe's history was determined by Fascism, Nazism, Francoism and Communism, and it was hard no to fall into any of these traps. What we need now is forgiveness and reconciliation, but not at the price of truth, Michnik said.
Europe should be a community of freedom, Michnik said, stressing the role of media in this aspect. The media are anti-government, and in perpetual conflict with the ruling elite, he pointed out.
Whereas Michnik stressed there was no independent public opinion without independent media, Janez Jerovsek, a co-editor of right-leaning Nova Revija magazine, said that political pluralism must be complemented with the pluralism of media.
This is what Slovenia lacks, according to Jerovsek. All newspapers are the same, in the hands of certain individuals, although half of Slovenians disagree with their content, he said. Michnik responded that in his view, a newspaper should not be classified as rightist or leftist, but as one that supports an open society and one that does not. What is more, if a government is satisfied with the media, it means the media are not independent, but governmental, he said.
The three-day conference, which opened Friday evening, was a major event of the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|