Summary: Conference “Media at the service of democracy: present and future” (Barcelona, 20-21 February 2014)

Abstract

The article summarises the main content and key themes dealt with in the course of the conference “Media at the service of democracy: present and future”. The conference was held in Barcelona on 20-21 February 2014, organised by Societat Catalana de Comunicació of Institut d’Estudis Catalans. This text is based on the author’s contribution to the concluding debate session. Firstly, it presents the participants’ analysis and diagnosis of the mass media, which focused on the ‘deconstruction’ of the public audiovisual system. It also covers the opportunities identified, including an increasing need of meeting spaces for different groups, which can be satisfied by public service, and the possible actions brought up during the conference, both from academia and from the professional sphere.

Keywords: media, democracy, public service broadcasting, audiovisual media, public service media, pluralism.