Fostering capacity building for civic resilience and participation: Dialogic communication ethics and accountability

Informations projet

DIACOMET

N° de convention de subvention: 101094816

DOI

10.3030/101094816

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 6 Decembre 2022

Date de début 1 Juin 2023

Date de fin 31 Mai 2026

Financé au titre de

• Culture, creativity and inclusive society

Coût total

€ 2 998 012,50

Contribution de l’UE

€ 2 998 012,50

Coordonné par

VYTAUTO DIDZIOJO UNIVERSITETAS
Lithuania

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - DIACOMET (Fostering capacity building for civic resilience and participation: Dialogic communication ethics and accountability)

Période du rapport: 2023-06-01 au 2024-05-31

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

Digital communication has advanced, expanded and changed how people interact. However, it also spreads conflict, hate speech, online harassment and disinformation. The existing framework of public communication prevents citizens from influencing the ways the contemporary information ecosystem is operating in European democracies. The EU-funded DIACOMET project contributes to the advancement of ethical and accountable communication by promoting capacity building for civic resilience and inclusive accountability.

The overall aim of DIACOMET is to foster capacity building for civic resilience, while the main objective is to generate a concept of dialogic communication ethics (DCE), which would provide a framework for an inclusive model of accountability mechanisms that combine media accountability (the level of organizations) with civic accountability (the level of citizens) and is guided by the Principles of Good Communication Conduct (PGC).

Research, didactics and educational tools, inclusive accountability measures and policy recommendations will provide a framework to support individuals, groups, communities and organizations in managing complex ethical issues emerging in everyday public communication.

The project is organized in 6 work packages (WPs): WP1 focuses on the conceptual foundations for the project and provides theoretical and methodological support for all other WPs. WP2 intends to identify the principles of DCE and inclusive accountability and summarize them in a new type of code – the DIACOMET Principles of Good Communication Conduct (PGC). WP3 analyses diverse perspectives of non-professional actors on media and communication ethics. WP4 provides interactive online game (‚dilemma game‘), a public forum for debating and negotiating ethical issues. WP5 is responsible for building awareness of the project among the target groups, transfer of knowledge and exploitation of project results. In WP6, DIACOMET ensures efficient consortium management, monitoring, reporting, etc.

The DIACOMET consortium involves ten partners from eight European countries (Austria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Slovenia and Switzerland).

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

The 1st year of the project was devoted to the development of the theoretical and methodological foundations of dialogic communication ethics approach (WP1), which provides the basis for the analysis of the codes of ethics (WP2), piloting of focus groups discussions and Q-method testing (WP3). Developing didactics and training methodology of the dialogic communication ethics (WP1) supports with the conceptualization of the interactive online tools (WP4).

Since the project’s launch, communication with partners, Advisory Board and stakeholders, as well as dissemination of the project have been among the priorities (WP5). Communication actions have been progressing in parallel with the website, digital presence on social media, mainstream media reports, presentations, workshops, public discussions. Project governance, management, communication and collaboration processes within the consortium, policies and rules have been well planned and executed during the 1st year to ensure smooth and successful project coordination and implementation (WP6). According to the project plan - 6 deliverables were provided.

In WP1, theoretical and methodological framework for the DIACOMET project has been developed to lay down conceptual underpinnings and practical outcomes of the project aiming at fostering ethical communication practices and enhancing civic resilience through dialogue and accountability. It also provides theoretical and methodological inputs for all DIACOMET work packages and supports the development of a dialogic communication ethics framework.

In WP2, a collection of different ethical codes and guidelines for public communication in all participating partner countries as well as at the European level was compiled by all partners. The collection includes more than 400 codes and guidelines in Europe. It will form an indispensable basis for the development of the PGC and other inclusive media accountability mechanisms.

In WP3, a theoretical/methodological framework for identifying relevant actors for focus groups was developed and reported in the Deliverable 3.1. First focus group discussions have been conducted and they will be continued during the second project year.

Within WP4, the structure, design and workflow of the online forum and interactive ‘dilemma game’ were discussed, laying a solid foundation for development of the prototype. The project website (https://diacomet.eu) has been launched since the beginning of the project to provide an online platform for communication, dissemination, transfer of knowledge and exploitation of the project outputs.

WP5 ensured setting the framework for a successful dissemination, exploitation and communication of DIACOMET project, including the identification and determination of the main target groups, components of dissemination and exploitable results.

In WP6, project management structures and procedures were established to ensure effective project governance and implementation, administrative, financial and research coordination within the consortium.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

The ambition of DIACOMET is to push the boundaries of current knowledge and methodologies in three major areas:1) DCE, 2) media accountability mechanisms and 3) civic resilience, by synthesizing existing theoretical concepts of DCE, values clarification and moral awareness into a theoretical framework for developing an inclusive model of accountability mechanisms and educational tools for fostering capacity building of civic resilience against deceptive and abusive communication.

DIACOMET takes a step further from theory to application. First, DIACOMET offers a synthesis of existing theoretical concepts of DCE, values clarification and moral awareness. An important step beyond the current state-of-the-art is to explore the moral awareness in various communication cultures. Second, DIACOMET will innovate the format of the ‘dilemma game’ to improve the learning process.

DIACOMET intends to overcome the gap between theory and practice by developing an open and inclusive Principles of Good Communication Conduct and the concept of inclusive civic accountability bodies, which will engage professionals as well as various actors in different roles.

DIACOMET uses the notion of 'civic resilience', which is explored as contextually/structurally and culturally framed and personally sustained ability (defined here as ‘moral agency’) to reduce potential risk factors and vulnerabilities, which is also upheld with the help of protective contextual conditions. DIACOMET therefore, aims at broadening professional accountability mechanisms to civic accountability mechanisms by embracing citizens’ agency (PGC and re-designed accountability bodies).