By Milica Pesic, Media Diversity Executive Director
As 2024 comes to an end, I’d like to highlight some of MDI’s achievements I am most excited and proud of.
Topping the list is the MDI Research Centre which takes us to the policy makers which will strengthen our efforts to promote diversity in the media. As well as providing vital and much needed research, it will create and promote change through ‘action’. Our aim is for our analysis and recommendations to have a strong, efficient, profound impact on media and diversity worldwide.
MDI will be leading by example with our activities being based on some of the research findings and recommendations. The first output for the Centre is the Media Diversity Index, which will allow us to assess who is doing what in terms of media and diversity.
Also noteworthy is our global expansion. This year we set foot in Latin America with a groundbreaking panel discussing the environment, minorities, ART and media at the UNESCO World Press Freedom Day in Chile. The hope is to establish our presence more firmly in the region through a new programme currently being developed with key Latin American partners. We’ll keep you posted!
We’re excited to have returned to the South Caucasus, and able again to cover programmatically the whole MENA region. I am in particularly glad that first time in MDI history we are working in Ukraine, yet this happens at the invitation of a local NGO.
In the UK, we recognised media reform as the must for anyone who understands the importance of inclusion. We kicked off our engagement in the media reform debates by interviewing a prominent British media scholar Dr Steven Barnett. The next step is to bring together like-minded organisations and other experts to continue this conversation with a view to identifying clear recommendations and to act.
A great team and impactful projects
These achievements are made possible by having a great team at MDI and support from our funders, partners, our Trustees, our Advisory Board members and of course you.
MDI Global has grown significantly this year, becoming a well-established entity in Belgium and working internationally. We kicked off the year with the YoCoJoIn project, training many young journalists in the skills needed for effective community reporting.
Through the MigraVoice project MDI Global has amplified the voices of migrant communities across Europe. By building an online platform to facilitate communication between journalists and experts in different fields who have a migration background, we have empowered dozens of journalists and people from migrant communities to share their unique perspectives and stories, fostering greater understanding and inclusivity in media.
The You(th) Care for Change project has engaged hundreds of youth organisations across Europe to help them define they challenges they face and build capacities to learn, act and engage. By equipping them with skills in advocacy, campaigning and fundraising, we have inspired a new generation of change-makers who are passionate about social justice and environmental sustainability.
Focusing on religious hate and misinformation in the media our Get The Trolls Out! (GTTO) team organised several impactful campaigns including interfaith dialogue initiatives.
In response to the heightened tensions in Europe caused by the Middle East conflict, we focused on fostering unity among religious communities and called on EU leaders to protect journalists covering the war in Gaza and we used our online data to demonstrate the damages done and to call for an end of the violence.
Through a workshop and safe space organised in collaboration with FODIP (Forum for Discussion of Israel Palestine based in the UK) we produced podcasts, and articles to address the “importation” of conflict-driven polarisations and its impact on mental health and emphasised the importance of building relationships and understanding.
Recognising the rising use of AI to spread false information, we tackled issues like deepfakes and manipulated content. GTTO organised a panel event which brought together influential voices in media and technology to examine AI’s effects on content creation, fact-checking, and news curation, along with the profound implications of AI-driven media on democratic discourse and values.
Finally, this year we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of MDI Western Balkans office which I am proud to say has been particularly successful this year. Thy used their Reporting Diversity Network (RDN) project to provide feedback on the new Serbian Code of Journalism Ethics, yet RDN was shortlisted for the Democracy Innovation award and our Aleksandar Đokić was the winner of another prestigious award.
There are many more achievements – too many to mention. So, thank you all for your support and commitment to MDI.
I wish everyone a happy holiday season and a prosperous 2025.
Milica Pesic
