by Lori Šramel Čebular, Peace Institute, Ljubljana
On Monday, 9 June 2025, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, citizens and the researchers involved in the MeDeMAP project, presented 30 demands of the Citizens‘ Parliament on media and democracy, which the citizens had collectively developed over the past several months.
The event was held at the Ministry of Culture and attended by the media policy decision makers, such as high officials of the Ministry and Members of the Parliament. Representatives of journalists’ community, civil society and academia were also present, including the Slovene Association of Journalists and individual editors and journalists of the public service broadcaster RTV Slovenia, the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) and a non-profit media Oštro. RTV Slovenia’s Ombudsman was also present.
The importance of including citizens in discussions about media and democracy
At the beginning, Brankica Petković, the MeDeMAP project leader in Slovenia, presented the format as well as the method of the Citizens‘ Parliament and briefly explained how the four sessions of the parliament unfolded. Throughout her presentation, she emphasized how the experience of the Citizens’ Parliament demonstrates both the need for and the value of including citizens in discussions about media and democracy. “When citizens are given the right tools and a space for moderated discussion, they feel empowered to express their opinions, which is the basis for meaningful and constructive outcomes”, she said.
Citizens present their demands
The demands that the Citizens’ Parliament adopted were presented by the citizens themselves. Aleksandra Goropevšek presented the demands related to the topic of “Media Systems and Regulation” Tea Martinovič covered the topics of “Media and Representation,” while Žane Ogrin presented the topic of “Media and Participation.”
The media have a social responsibility
30 demands of the Citizens’ Parliament particularly reflect their desire for greater social responsibility of the media.To achieve this, they call on the state, as well as the media and journalists themselves to take decisive action. The demands place strong emphasis on media regulation and specific forms of media organisation, ownership, employment, and content. They call for increased accountability of media owners. The citizens demand from media to demonstrate pluralism and openness, ensuring the inclusion and representation of all social groups, and dialogue with civil society and citizens. Additionally, the citizens highlight the need for both the state and the media to work together to improve media literacy across all generations. They also urge the European Union to support journalists and advance media literacy initiatives.
The event concluded with a lively discussion involving the representatives of the public. A representative of the academic community pointed out that the Citizens‘ Parliament on media and democracy effectively debunks the myth that citizens are uninformed or uninterested in complex topics. The whole process of organising Citizens‘ Parliaments for the first time on this particular topic is proof that when given the opportunity, people are passionate about participating and making a meaningful impact.
The Citizens’ Parliament demands are presented in the report available at the Peace Institute web page: https://www.mirovni-institut.si/mediji-demokracija/