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Helga Schwarzwald, Managing Director Verband Freier Rundfunk Österreich #97 What are the top three media infrastructure proposals?
First things first: Even in digitalization, content is central - especially when it comes from excellent journalists, is well researched and fact-based. I would have liked to quote Roger de Weck on the importance of content in a crisis of democracy from an Ö1 broadcast on January 18. But then, unfortunately, the 7 days were over and I could no longer listen to this content, produced with public money and still informative for a long time.

This brings me to a 1st measure: the 7-day rule has to go. It is certainly also necessary to be more agile in social networks to meet audiences and give ORF real opportunities in digital. Original ORF content in particular, for which the copyright and exploitation situation is relatively simple, should be accessible for an unlimited period of time and be able to circulate widely. To this end, it is necessary to fundamentally rethink copyright law practices that appear traditional but are quite recent in terms of legal history, and at any rate to dare to experiment.

This brings me to my second suggestion: information contributions could be provided with open licenses in a well-considered manner and cooperation could be sought with Wikimedia and other players oriented towards the creation of public value, such as community media. In this way, all information and knowledge providers can bring content closer to those people who can no longer be reached via traditional channels such as TV or radio, or who could not yet be reached for other reasons. People thus have the opportunity to get to know the currently strong ORF brand and to continue to see it as a kind of journalistic seal of quality.

After these - compared to the challenges - tiny suggestions, I would like to conclude by referring to Wolfgang Blau and saying that we must no longer dwell on the short-term effects of this digital transformation. All our energy must go into anticipating the long-term effects as best we can, and we cannot think big enough. And so the third proposal is: a legislative course marked by enormous visionary competence at the European level for the digital transformation of media as a democratic infrastructure.