Paper short abstract:

I will discuss the potential of awareness workshops for journalists as one of the activities German broadcasting corporations launch to promote media diversity. I draw on fieldwork in a journalism school, on collaboration with media practitioners and on my experiences as a trainer in such workshops.

Paper long abstract:

I will discuss the potential of awareness workshops for journalists as one of the activities German broadcasting corporations launch to promote media diversity. I draw on fieldwork in a journalism school, on collaboration with media practitioners and on my experiences as a trainer in such workshops. In my training I try to go beyond the often expected approaches of intercultural communications. Instead my aim is to bring in an anthropological perspective on a meta-level of representation.

First I will show how "media diversity" is conceptualised by German broadcasting corporations. I will then argue that the conventions of professional journalism carry a systemic and structural bias that tends to run counter to media diversity initiatives. Finally I will outline the direction that diversity activities will need to take if they really want to tackle the structural level.