Reset! Live Podcast #7 — Value(s) and Conditions of Cultural Independence

Defining yourself as independent can entrench many different realities; Some may consider that their independence only depends on their ability to create and publish freely, while others are convinced that this freedom cannot be fully guaranteed without economic independence. These variations in definition make it difficult to fully grasp the notion of independence. Since the Reset! network defines itself as the one of independent cultural and media organisations, figuring out what conditions and values constitute the notion of independence is essential. Delving into this topic has been the core of the Observatoire des Politiques Culturelles’ research for 2 years. This research has resulted into a report, finalised in February 2024, and published in October 2024. The report aims at drawing the contours of independence and what it based itself on; from economic independence, to institutional independence, to involvement independence, to aesthetic-editorial independence—all intertwined. In the current cultural context being more and more characterised by growing threats—economic (ownership concentration) and political (rise of far right governments)—, this work comes as a powerful tool to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding independence, both as cultural players, but also as political and institutional players, the European Commission playing a key part in supporting the continent’s cultural scenes. Following this publication, Reset! also released a policy proposal advocating for the creation of an Observatory on Threats to Independence in the Cultural and Media Sectors, as a pilot project. The Observatory would be specifically tasked with monitoring and analysing ownership and antitrust concentration dynamics in the European cultural and media sector.

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