7. Group of Experts on Concentration

Proposed: SNJ (France) and Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten

The 24th IFJ Congress, meeting in Seoul on June 11th to June 15th, 2001

notes that the multimedia industry is going through an unprecedented concentration process,

observes that the year 2000 saw the largest mergers in economic history in the communication sector,

deplores the fact that multimedia groups' strategy of a relentless pursuit of gigantic proportions is encouraging the smallest number of groups to boost their profits to the detriment of their employees, and to endanger democracy by trivializing and standardizing ideas,

believes that this merger process is also a threat to freedom of the press and fundamental freedoms and human rights,

notes the silence and inaction of the leading international political, social and cultural institutions when faced with this threat,

questions the actual capacity for influence of the opposition forces, such as the anti-globalization movement, the Alternative Global Social Forum, etc. specifically in the communication and information sector,

calls on the Executive Committee to establish ideally suited structures to combat multimedia globalization and concentration.

These structures could:

1) take the form of a group of experts, either inside or outside the IFJ;

2) lead to the creation - through alliances with all the trade union forces in the communication sector - of a multimedia mergers and concentrations monitoring unit.