The AMIC association and Ràdio Arrels have launched the 'Escat Mèdia' project, an initiative aiming to enhance the quality and quantity of Catalan news covering the shared reality between Catalonia and Northern Catalonia (Roussillon). This cross-border newsroom, set to begin in 2026 with an initial two-year duration, is supported by European funding from the POCTEFA program.
The initiative will bring together around twenty journalists and content creators from various print, radio, and television media outlets on both sides of the Pyrenees. The goal is to establish a stable network of local media covering mutually interesting information, primarily in Catalan. Participating media include the weekly L’Empordà, La Semaine du Rousillon, Ràdio Capital, Sies TV, TV Costa Brava, and TV Girona, among others.
Marc Alemany, project manager at AMIC, highlighted that the project will also involve content creators for social media, with initial participation from TVallespir and Uri Rodegas. Approximately 50 publications, including reports, interviews, and various news items, are planned for 2026, with an ambition to reach 200 by 2027, aiming to showcase and tell the stories of people from both sides of the Pyrenees.
Albert Noguer, director of Ràdio Arrels, emphasized the project's ambition, noting that despite years of willingness from various media outlets, such a significant initiative had never before been realized.
The presentation event, held in Perpignan, was attended by officials including Albert Piñeira, director of the Casa de la Generalitat in Perpignan, and Nicolàs Garcia, vice-president of the Department of Pyrénées-Orientales, who encouraged the use of the project to "break down borders".
The initiative coincides with the 20th anniversary of the cross-border cooperation agreement between the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Departament dels Pirineus Orientals, signed on June 29, 2006, which laid the groundwork for the Eurodistrict of the Cross-border Catalan Space.
