The Covid-19 pandemic and minority language media in Europe: the effects of spring 2020 lockdowns

This article focuses on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns in spring 2020, on the sphere of minority language media. Taking a comparative case study approach across 11 minority language settings in Europe, the research builds upon expert interviews conducted with practitioners and scholars by the present authors. This is thematically broken down into the areas of audience figures and funding implications, effects on non-news content, relations between majority and minority, logistical aspects, and social media. The findings included a mix of positive and negative aspects, which the analysis places in the context of previous theoretical concepts and legal standards related to minority languages and media. Increased audience figures and social media engagement suggest positive signs for the vitality of minority language media and the options for online breathing spaces of minority language usage. The effects on non-news content are more mixed, with issues due to cancellations as well as new innovative content having differing effects per sphere in terms of genre completeness. However, the status of minority languages and importance of minority language media outlets were insufficiently acknowledged in examples of tense minority-majority interactions as well as cases of funding issues due to reducing advertising revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Multilingual & Multicultural Development is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)