The Mediterranean University Center had the honor of hosting Serge July and Denis Tillinac last night for a unique conference on the theme “Media System and Citizenship.” For over an hour, the former editorialist and the journalist-writer discussed the ambiguous, sometimes dangerous relationships and the mutual influences between society and information media.
“Social context as foundation and purpose”
Recalling the great moments of May 1968 that contributed to the creation of Libération a few years later, the two guests highlighted the importance of social and trade union movements in the construction of collective identities. According to them, while media are receivers of information, they are also “full-fledged actors.” They aim to have a lasting influence on society and its issues, serving as a source of reflection and analysis essential to effective political action.
“Engagement as the foundation of citizenship”
From Jean-Paul Sartre to Alexandre Dumas to Georges Clemenceau, the two guests reminded us how taking a stance has sometimes allowed things to evolve, as well as citizens. Serge July, guided by Denis Tillinac’s questions, thus painted an uncompromising and delightful panorama of history, biases, and the evolution of media up to the current crisis of the print press.
“Technology or the necessary reinvention of media”
The digital age corresponds, for the two guests, to one of those “technological moments” that entails necessary adaptation. This aspect also underlies the question of the economic model specific to the media industry. Far from perceiving the Internet as a danger, the two prefer to see it for all of its “potentialities.” Speed and multiplication of sources are at the root of comparison and freedom of expression, the very foundations of democracy. However, there remains the issue of adopting a certain ethic at the dawn of an increasingly impatient democracy.
By Antoine Letournel
