Media4Change is an international movement that examine problems that are outside of the media agenda. We monitor the portrayal of the most stigmatized groups in society and aim to make good global practices a source of inspiration for decision-makers and other members of the movement. We keep the issues of human rights, investigative journalism, and media literacy on our radar.

Participants of the Media4Change’s Investigative journalism competition from Lithuania and Slovakia spent 36 hours per week on understanding the principles of investigative journalism, exploring various important topics in their fields of interest, deepening analytical skills and networking with like-minded people. A workshop week full of inspiring and creative online workshops and discussions was the final element of the second stage of the Investigative journalism competition. During the sessions 15 teams from Lithuania and 9 from Slovakia improved their investigations’ plans for the final evaluation.

Among the groups monitored by Media4Change, the Jewish community stands out as the most positively portrayed group. Sania Kerbelis, the chairman of the Šiauliai Jewish community, says that the image of the community depends on the initiatives that draw society’s attention.

The Roma are talked about in the media, but their voices are nowhere to be heard – 91.1% of publications about the Roma community do not feature a Roma voice. Rasma Pažemeckaitė, an active member of the Roma community, says that people are reluctant to speak – they are worried about stereotypes and stigmatization. Rasma says she used to be ashamed to admit that she is a Roma, but now she is proud of her roots and believes that only cooperation will break down the walls of mistrust in society.

Local Investigative Journalism Competition 2021 is moving to its next phase! Media4Change and European Dialogue are delighted to see that a large number of journalists have shown interest in the Competition.

Research on public attitudes, conducted by the Institute for Ethnic Studies, has shown the same thing for the last 15 years: the Roma are the most disadvantaged group in society. Vita Kontvainė, a researcher at the Institute, notes that the Roma community is small, with about 2,000 members, so very often knowledge about the Roma is based on rumors and the media.