This document is a survey of the representation of Roma in the media and a summary of the recommendations made by media experts during roundtable discussions in 2005 organized by the Hungarian Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

Based on the literature presented in the Appendix of this report, this document proposes greater editorial oversight of media professionals reporting on Roma issues. The most important recommendation is that journalists must show greater sensitivity when producing a story that deals with minority issues. There can be no concrete guidelines that account for every possible circumstance, so journalists must use discretion especially when producing stories about Roma.

The current document does not want to overstep its role by creating strict guidelines defining what the media should be doing. On the other hand, Roma integration policies can only be effectively implemented if the media produces objective and interesting stories about Roma and integration issues. Towards this end, the roundtables encouraged media representatives reconsider their responsibilities, and made the following recommendations for media organizations and government officials:

• The state should live up to its responsibility to protect the interest of all citizens, which includes ensuring fair portrayals of minorities in the media.
• The government should support trainings for journalists and announce calls for proposals for the creation of culturally sensitive media training manuals.
• The Media Supervisory Board (ORTT) should regularly monitor the media for its portrayals of Roma, the use of minority (Roma) stereotypes, its production of multi-cultural programming, and Roma participation in the production of media texts.
• Because public TV and radio stations have an obligation to all citizens as public service institutions, they are obliged to produce interesting stories about marginalized social groups, especially Roma, who suffer from discrimination.
• Commercial media should find new and creative ways to fairly and accurately portray Roma communities from diverse and interesting perspectives.
• Journalists are expected to respect basic media values (insightfulness, creativity, and objectivity) when covering Roma issues.

Experts also put together the following recommendations for journalists and editors:

1. Who is Roma? When covering an event, confirm a source‘s identity. If the source says he or she is Roma, verify the validity of this claim with a secondary source.
2. Is it important to identify a source as Roma? When compiling a report, one has to decide whether it is relevant to identify a source as Roma. What does the reader gain if he or she is told that the source is a Roma person? What will be lost if journalists omit this information?
3. Let’s ask! Journalists should ask whether an interviewee wants to be identified as Roma. The same question should be asked about personal details that might indicate the person’s ethnicity (for example, identifying someone as living in a Roma settlement).
4. What is the context? The following situations should also be considered by journalists, editors, and media organizations:
• If a story covers a sensitive topic, what might be the expected audience response if it is published/broadcast?
• Is the anticipated audience response equal to the expected benefits of publishing/broadcasting the story?
• Who is the audience? How big is the target audience? Will children see or read the story?
• What level of quality does the audience expect from stories on this station or in this publication?
• What does the “average viewer” know about the topic being discussed?
• What are some key facts that might allow the average viewer to better understand the context of the issue in question? How can these key facts best be portrayed?
• What is the best way to report on a Roma story without it leading to generalizations and stereotypes about the entire ethnic group? Without describing the context of the story, the audience may be led to believe an isolated and rare occurrence is common among certain communities. Put another way, a story about a small segment of the Roma population should not be confused as a wider social trend.
• What supplemental information could contribute to a better understanding of the issues raised in a story?
• What is the traditional way the editorial staff tends to deal with such issues? How would any repeat publication/broadcast of the story influence the audience’s understanding of the issue?
• How is the story connected to current political or media trends or recent important events?
• To what extent is the issue presented as a Roma problem, or as a general social problem? Is it necessary to present this as an ethnically based problem?
• Is humor used in a story in an ethnically sensitive way?
5. Can it be said differently? If you still have doubts about a story after going through the above checklist, consider what other opportunities there are to use the text in a different way.
6. Diversity in Diverse Ways. Great strides could be made towards greater ethnic tolerance if Roma were used in greater frequency as eye-witnesses, audience members, and experts on topics not related to Roma. It would also be beneficial for Roma journalists to be responsible for producing stories not related to Roma issues.
7. Network of Contacts. When working on a Roma-related topic, journalists should carefully consider which experts to include in their report.
8. Cultural Strategy. Journalists should consider the traits that define Roma culture and how those traits are related to the Hungarian majority culture. The media should focus both on characteristics that are different from the majority Hungarian culture and those that strengthen Roma identity.
9. Negotiation. Because the state cannot force commercial TV to change the way it reports on Roma issues, the only way to affect change is to sit down with commercial media owners and managers and convince them to make changes.
10. Cooperation. Roma organizations should cooperate with similar advocacy groups on advocacy efforts.
11. Education, Research. Journalism training programs should put a greater emphasis on culturally sensitive curricula.
12. Developing Contacts. It would be very useful to have a prestigious professional club, which could have regular roundtables to address pertinent media questions.

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