Display Europe is set to revolutionise the European media landscape and fairkom built the infrastructure. Born from the collaborative efforts of the European Cultural Foundation and a network of independent media organisations, this groundbreaking media platform is a free central portal for original, federated and user-generated media content in 15 languages. Anchored in public values and inclusivity, Display breaks away from the unethical data collection practices of Big Tech. fairkom deployed most of the service elements on its own scalable kubernetes cluster. The launch press conference in Brussels has been streamed live via the dedicated PeerTube node displayeurope.video.
Display Europe press conference in Brussels Dec 12th 2023
Free and Trustworthy
Display Europe aims to provide citizens across the continent with trustworthy information and perspectives often overlooked by mainstream and national media. By focusing on translation, syndication, and originally created content, Display Europe seeks to offer a comprehensive view of Europe, from Cape Roca to the Ural watershed. Original content will include monthly regional and thematic press reviews, and multimedia cross-border projects on topics of European relevance and a weekly European talk show. It will serve as a paywall free, central portal for curated content, searchable and translatable into 15 languages.
Participate and Share
Committed to active public involvement, the platform will encourage European citizens to shape the media and its values actively. Features like the Article Club will connect readers with journalists, fostering a community mindset in media production. Additionally, a dynamic user-generated content model will encourage users to share their unique European perspectives, supported by social media outreach and partnerships with aligned champions and organisations.
Safe and Ethical
As a federated network of existing platforms, Display Europe uses open-source software and open protocols based on privacy-friendly processes. The platform is built on a sovereign, self-governed, open-source digital infrastructure, ensuring independence from Big Tech social media and streaming platforms. Unlike other platforms out there, Display’s content recommendation algorithms guide users onto a mixed and balanced content journey. Display only collects personal data when given the green light, and users can opt out of data collection entirely.
André Wilkens, director of the European Cultural Foundation:
“The launch of Display Europe is a pivotal moment in European media landscape. It promises to be a crucial piece of digital infrastructure for Europe, leveling the playing field for media outlets and content creators. Its launch represents not just a new media platform but a new chapter in European media, where diversity, inclusivity, and public values take center stage.”
Background
In response to the growing need for a public sphere that transcends economic, social, cultural, or national backgrounds, the European Cultural Foundation conducted a series of online and offline workshops and events in 2020 and 2021. These workshops brought together journalists, researchers, and citizens to envision a networked European media model, free from market and government influences. This culminated in the creation of Display Europe, funded by the European Union, and aimed at fostering journalistic cross-border collaboration and the development of a digital infrastructure based on public values.
In a time of misinformation and polarization, Display Europe stands as a beacon of truth and unity. By providing a pan-European perspective and a space for shared European interests, the platform aims to counteract the erosion of trust and public sphere, offering a bulwark against populist narratives and marginalization in legacy media.
Display Europe is co-funded by the European Union and run by a consortium of European Cultural Foundation (ECF), Cultural Broadcasting Archive (CBA), Fairkom, Eurozine, Voxeurop, Hostwriter, Krytyka Polityczna, El Diario, Good Conversations, PublicSpaces, Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE), Human, VPRO, Sound & Vision, YEPP Italia, Fanzingo and Schuman Show.
For more information, visit displayeurope.eu.
