FRONT PAGE " "
When, after the Second World War, the founding fathers of the new Europe created the Council of Europe and the European Community, they did so in the hope of reinforcing peace and fostering democracy. Today, in the year in which we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the end of the war, the European peoples can look back on an unprecedented period of uninterrupted peace and prosperity. However, from reading the papers, from listening to the radio, from watching television and from the websites of press agencies, this would not seem to be a year worthy of celebration. The mass media in fact present a Europe unsure of itself, worried by the fears of terrorism, immigration and unemployment, and doubtful about its own identity. Reports on the negotiations for the entry of Turkey into the EU have led to renewed anxieties in people, worried by the prospect of having to live in an Islamic Europe. The supporters of the European ideal often criticise the mass media for fomenting the scepticism of the public. The mass media, they say, pay no attention to European stories and ignore the positive examples of cooperation, whereas they seize every opportunity to remark the slightest trace of division. The press, in turn, maintains that European politicians are so distant from the life of citizens that they fail to communicate any vision of a lively, open and united European culture. There is clearly truth on both sides, but what is needed is a different approach. The mass media cannot alone change the way in which governments and institutions operate, but they can take more seriously the European dimension and can do more to enhance the strength and diversity of its cultures. The national mass media, in particular, can help the public better to understand their own neighbours. In the long term, the European flame will only be re-ignited if a sufficient number of citizens believe in it and act jointly to ensure that it’s vision be fulfilled. If the mass media are not in the front line in the promotion of the ideals of Europe, it’s because they feel no pressure from the public to do so. This is a field in which the Catholic associations, networks and mass media could make a valuable contribution. The European region of SIGNIS (Catholic Association for Communication that will meet for its congress in Lyon from 4 to 11 November – cf. SIR no. 69/2005), for example, brings together Catholic communicators from throughout Europe, East and West. It’s a forum for the encounter between cultures, a celebration of the diversity and common ideals, and an opportunity for personal meetings and friendship. As Catholic communicators, we have the duty to contribute to creating mass media that support a vision of Europe that looks beyond its frontiers, and that is generous and united in the diversity of its languages, cultures and religions. We need to remind Europeans that, sixty years after the Second World War, the ideals that emerged from that conflagration are still valid and still a source of inspiration.
