More propaganda, more prizes from the EU

It is a recurring theme, the great gamut of prizes handed out by the EU to further its own interests, pop prizes, architecture prizes, film prizes journalist prizes and so on. All with the stated intention of using taxpayer's money to promote a particular and partial view of the European Union ion the minds of they citizens of the 27 nation states.


And now another one has hove into view. This one, the Civis Media prize is essentially a German/EU junket involving money, a gala dinner and the honouring of various TV, radio and internet sites. What they must do to share in your largesse is to support European integration, through projects that show up the positive benefits of migration.

The website is effusive,

"The CIVIS Media Prize honours the best programmes on the theme of integration and cultural diversity in Europe."

The event will be glittering (just take a look at the film of last years event, a sort of C-list Bafta)

"The prize-giving ceremony and the TV gala of the European CIVIS Media Prize 2011 will take place on May 26, 2011, at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. The Federal President Christian Wulff and the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, are the patrons."

And it has a very very defined purpose.

"The aim of the CIVIS Media Foundation is to sensitize journalists in Germany and Europe for the themes of integration and cultural diversity. The organisation contributes to intercultural understanding and to European integration through the activities of the electronic media. CIVIS promotes the innovative and professional treatment of developments in the European immigration society."

What it sets its face against is clear enough,

"One-sided reporting can easily contribute to a general feeling of uncertainty and does not serve the purpose of enlightenment."

Got that, it appears that I do not serve the purpose of enlightenment... Evil nasty person that I am.

It is supported by the European Parliament and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights amongst others.
If the German media establishment want to have a prize like this, that is fine, and entirely up to them. But to wrap it up as an EU supported project, with EU funding and promotion (funding in kind) then is utterly out of order.