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During the event, BFM visiting professor of media and communication Nico Carpentier, associate professor of political sociology at Tallinn University Mari-Liis Jakobson and professor of comparative politics at Tartu University Piret Ehin discussed the future of European democracy and the role of the media in protecting and promoting it. 

They discussed what political struggles over democracy are democratically acceptable and where the line has been crossed, posing a real threat to both democracy and the media. The discussion also addressed the response to anti-democratic threats, primarily through Popper's paradox of tolerance: how to remain tolerant without harming tolerance itself. The debate described what threats could threaten democracy the most and what would be the best ways to mitigate them.

The conversation was led by Andres Jõesaar, associate professor of media policy at Tallinn University. The discussion was inspired by Nico Carpentier and Jeffrey Wimmer's new book "Democracy and the Media in Europe".

Andres Jõesaar commented on what happened at the event as follows: "The panelists were of the common opinion that in order to mitigate threats that can harm society, the media must fulfill increasingly complex tasks, which are supporting an informed citizenry, constructive criticism of the government, organizing an open and diverse debate, representing various social groups and facilitating citizens' participation in politics and public debates."

Katrin Saks, development vice-rector of TLÜ, said after participating in the discussion: "The situation is not at all hopeless, neither with democracy nor with the media. The fact that both change is the natural course of things."

Mari-Liis Jakobson added: "Churchill is often quoted when talking about democracy, who is said to have said that democracy is the worst form of government, but it is still better than other tried-and-tested options. Nico Carpentier's book beautifully highlights how many tensions are already built into democracy, but external risks and threats are also added to them. One tool that helps mitigate both is good old classic journalism. And not only as a watchdog that constantly alerts of dangers, but also as a thinker that must help understand the risks before the consequences are at hand."

Anyone interested can read an in-depth academic analysis of the nature of media and democracy in contemporary Europe in the book "Democracy and Media in Europe: A Discursive-Material Approach" by Nico Carpentier and Jeffrey Wimmer.

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