What?
A European Perspective connects Europe through trusted news.
Anchored in trusted content and collaborative technology, it gives citizens a window into the issues affecting Europe locally and globally; bringing audiences quality journalism in their own language.
How?
A European Perspective is a pan-European networked newsroom.
It is a unique technical and editorial collaboration driven by trusted Public Service Media and other public service organizations that share editorial values and high levels of public trust.
It is driven by an original content exchange system that allows Members to contribute their own content and to monitor and publish news stories produced by their peers.
News articles are translated into multiple languages by the EBU’s AI-assisted EuroVox tool and thanks to the EBU’s automatic content recommendation tool (PEACH) they surface where they matter most.
It’s an initiative that harnesses the power of AI, while keeping public service journalists at the heart of decision-making.
Participating organizations display a dedicated newsfeed on their homepages, or within an article, serving the growing demand for a European perspective on news coverage.
Additional tools include an overview of activities and an extensive study on disinformation, from project partner France Televisions. There have also been explorations into a European public sphere.
Who is involved?
Since the launch of A European Perspective in 2021, the number of partners has grown.
There are currently 20 participating organizations in 17 countries providing trusted media content and contributing expertise in this innovation journey.
It is clear that the public has an appetite for this type of content. Audience surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023 confirmed that 90% of respondents were interested in reading the news published in A European Perspective.
With an estimated potential audience of 245 million internet users in the participating countries, the project has a prospect of having a huge reach and impact.
If you are interested to learn how A European Perspective looks live, you can click on any of the participating Member’s websites:
Publication flow from contributors to publishers
This chart illustrates the publication flow in a networked newsroom from contributors to publishers.
It highlights the number of publications of news stories contributed by participating PSMs and where those stories were published.
Over the period from 01 July 2021 to 22 September 2023 for example, there were 2,973 publications of Franceinfo stories, 278 of which were produced by RTÉ. And, in total BR published 1,668 stories from other Members.
MORE INFO AND LATEST NEWS
WHY?
MEMBER TESTIMONIALS
“The old ways public service media operate don’t work, and innovation is not just about technology, but also about new ways of thinking if we want to reconnect with our audiences and serve the interests of all. I believe that the greatest value of this project is that by sharing and integrating each other’s news on our platforms we will help bring our audiences closer together.”
Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė,
Director General of LRT
“Audiences across Europe need broader viewpoints as most news stories today have global implications. A European Perspective is a platform where we can build our strength in digital news and enhance the relevance of public service media. The 365 million impressions of 20 thousand news stories since the project’s launch, indicates a powerful impact alongside constant growth. We see the need to expand and evolve this project.”
Delphine Ernotte-Cunci,
CEO of France Télévisions
“Like the work we’ve done on our SR news algorithm, A European Perspective is developing Public Service Media’s identity and purpose in the digital age. Taking it to the pan-European level, and building on the experience of other partners, we are also motivated to maintain our audiences, but our purpose is different from commercial players, even as we work alongside them. Our algorithm’s respect of public service values differentiates us in this highly competitive market and offers audiences new ways to find and interact with our content online.”
Cilla Benkö,
Director General of Swedish Radio
FAQ
It is clear that the public has an appetite for this type of content. Audience surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023 confirmed that 90% of respondents were interested in reading the news published in A European Perspective. And, with 350 million impressions since the inception of the project, their interest is clear.
A European Perspective has created a highly-impactful digital news initiative that draws on existing skills; leverages long-standing trust-based relationships with local audiences across Europe and amplifies the reach and trust of the participating brands.
Because it contributes to developing a European public sphere rooted in EU values; whilst it also aims to celebrate diversity and promote understanding between people across the continent.
It is an initiative that has the unique potential to act as a beacon for audiences seeking to navigate their way through an increasingly oversaturated and disordered media space.
A European Perspective has created a highly-impactful digital news initiative that draws on existing skills; leverages long-standing trust-based relationships with local audiences across Europe and amplifies the reach and trust of the participating brands.
A European Perspective acts as a powerful counterbalance to disinformation campaigns and agenda-driven narratives which seek to foment division and exploit fault lines between communities.
The publication Fact Checking Trends and patterns, developed by France Télévisions as part of A European Perspective, offers a holistic view of the threat of disinformation, including the latest trends. It also offers actionable recommendations that can be used in the fight for trusted information for Europeans.
As the digital age unfolds, disinformation and fake news find new channels of dissemination. With the Generative AI tools in the hands of citizens, the amplification of mis and disinformation is exponential now. The public service media are here to inform, entertain and educate. Media literacy with the focus on AI is an urgent need and sharing it with our audiences is key.
In relation to how AI is used, A European Perspective takes its cue from the AEP Digital News Platform (Newsdeck or the Eurovision News Monitoring Tool) which allows participating organizations to monitor online content produced by their peers in real time, using AI-assisted translation EuroVox, automatic content recommendation tool (PEACH) and filters to identify items of interest that will resonate with national audiences.
The use of AI aims to increase the relevance and diversity of news content using automated translations, text and audio transcriptions and story selection.
Where content featured in the recommendation box has been translated using automated tools, users will see the legend: “Translated with the help of Artificial Intelligence”. Where content has been automatically selected, either wholly or using algorithmic processes, it will be marked: “Selected with the help of Artificial Intelligence”.
Public service media are committed to using AI in a transparent way that respects fundamental rights; especially freedom of expression and information, enhancing cultural and social diversity.
Organizations participating in the project agree to adhere to the following editorial principles:
- Content should address themes that resonate with all Europeans because they affect multiple countries, societies, or identity groups.
- Content should inform, examine, and explain the impact of policies, decisions and actions made by European governments and institutions, assessing how they impact the lives of citizens in the furtherance of core democratic principles.
- Participants should embrace the principles of diversity and inclusion, ensuring that news content promotes voices, views, and personal testimonies from across Europe's social landscape, including those of vulnerable or marginalised groups.
- Content must be subject to independent and accountable editorial processes. It must be accurate, relevant, fair, and respectful, particularly regarding human dignity and diversity of thought.
- Content partners operate a systematic approach to handling audience complaints and corrections.
- Organizations commit to using AI in a way that respects fundamental rights, especially freedom of expression and information, and that enhances cultural and social diversity.
The above principles are anchored in the Public Service Media Core Values of universality, independence, excellence, diversity, accountability and innovation. Available here.
A European Perspective is co-funded by a grant from the European Commission’s Multimedia Actions program.
However, content production overheads are borne entirely by the participating PSMs, which retain full editorial control over their stories.
The Association Internationale sans but Lucratif (AISBL) EBU-UER in Brussels is responsible for managing the EU grant and progress reporting to the European Commission.
EBU Members guide the collaboration through a Core Working Group presided by Asun Gomez-Bueno (RTVE, Spain) and Eric Scherer (France Télévisions).
Although from June 2023, EU funding is coming to a close A European Perspective is a highly valued initiative and the participating media organizations are committed to continue sharing trusted content and different perspectives with audiences. The AISBL EBU-UER and participating media organizations will continue to invest in refining the tools and processes, while actively seeking further funding opportunities to accelerate the growth of the project.
This project has been co-financed by the European Union's Preparatory Action - "European Media Platforms"
