This Council of Europe report was coordinated by Helmut Peissl (COMMIT) in collaboration with Judith Purkarthofer, Nadia Bellardi (CMFE), and Salvatore Scifo (Bournemouth University) and realised with editorial support by the Media and Internet Division of the Council of Europe

Community media are a tool of communication for people in hundreds of communities which are run for the community, about the community and by the community. Often referred to as the third media sector, it serves as a distinct alternative to public national broadcasters and commercial media.

Originating locally and using horizontal structures of production, community media allow people to create their own means of cultural expression, news, information and dialogue. Thereby, they facilitate community level debate, information and knowledge sharing, and input into public decision-making. Community media are also often an indicator of a healthy democratic society, whose mission lies in their independent and participatory nature.

This report is based on case studies from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), France, Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia, Slovenia and Switzerland realised in 2019. The selection of these countries was motivated by the objective to offer recommendations based on case studies from very distinct regional frameworks and the different conditions in which community media in Europe operate.

COMMUNITY MEDIA - contributions to citizens' participation (2022) - download here

Country Summaries (2019) - download here

Regional working papers:

Research on community media in the DACH-region - download here

Research on community media in the France - download here

Research on community media in The Netherlands - download here

Research on community media in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia - download here

More documents on Community Media are available on the thematic site of the Council of Europe