Discrimination and antigypsyism remain an everyday reality for many Roma people across the EU. Thus, two out of three respondents to the 2023 Special Eurobarometer on Discrimination in the European Union consider that discrimination against Roma is widespread in their countries, which makes Roma people the group against whom discrimination is most pervasive in the EU.

The European Commission has defined the fight against antigypsyism and discrimination as a horizontal objective of the EU Roma Strategic Framework for equality, inclusion and participation. As a concrete action towards this goal, the Commission is cooperating with the Council of Europe in the framework of the EQUIROM programme, which aims to combat stereotypes perpetuated in the media, promote mutual understanding, and empower Roma civil society in the fight against antigypsyism. EQUIROM activities include capacity-building actions for journalists and media regulatory authorities, conducting research about the representation and portrayal of Roma in broadcasting and the media, and raising awareness about Roma history and culture among a broad audience.

As part of the EQUIROM programme, the Journalism Excellence Awards 2024 have showcased and rewarded outstanding examples of facts-based journalism that can help counter stereotypes and disinformation. Among a large pool of applicants, the jury awarded five winners for their work on “Ethical Media Reporting on Roma and Combating Racism and Antigypsyism through the Media”:

• Photojournalism Award: Achilleas Chiras (Greece)
• Investigative Journalism Award: Rodothea Seralidou (Germany)
• Global event Award: Anna Alboth (Poland)
• Interview Award: Gilda-Nancy Horvath (Austria)
• Young Journalists Award: Yana Radchenko (Ukraine)

More information:

• Journalism Excellence Awards
• EQUIROM joint programme