Participants agreed on the importance of minority communities maintaining their own media to help sustain a dynamic, contemporary group identity. One participant thought that the fundamental distinction is between private and public sector media; minorities, as constituent parts of the public, are equal to other members of society as stakeholders in the public media. Referring to 'minority' versus 'mainstream' media risks 'ghettoizing' minorities. Other participants accepted these points but advocated the concept of 'minority media', defined as media where the concerns and perspectives of a minority group are dominant. It exists either as programmes produced by minorities primarily for minorities, or through the ownership of a media outlet (newspaper, radio station, etc.). These can usefully be called the 'minority media' without implying that the public sector media is 'owned' by the majority. Similarly, while the 'mainstream' is often dominated by the majoritarian society, minorities must be able to participate in it directly.
Minority-language media
Minority-language media are essential for keeping a language alive and developing its modern usage. Most argued that with sufficient financial support and legal protection, minority-language media could flourish. Many believed, however, that states generally do not support the cultural development of minorities. Numerically small minorities may be officially recognized by the state but, without support, are at risk of assimilation. Participants argued that governments should therefore create the conditions so minorities themselves can provide the outlets they need.
Sometimes minorities are discouraged from using their language in the media for fear of arousing mainstream suspicion and possible penalties. For example, in Poland the long tradition of anti-Semitism has meant that the main Jewish magazine is published in Polish instead of Yiddish, so as not to risk increasing public mistrust. This situation is especially difficult for groups where the government is suspicious of their privately run media......
