Page - 71 - in Media – Migration – Integration - European and North American Perspectives

71 Petra Herczeg Migrants and Ethnic Minorities in Austria: Assimilation, Integration and the Media Fremd ist der Fremde nur in der Fremde - A stranger is strange only in a strange land (Karl Valentin) This paper explores issues concerning the media situation of ethnic minorities and migrants in Austria. It is based on the premise that ethnic minority groups that have been present in the country for centuries and contemporary migrants encounter similar problems in preserving their languages and culture within the society at large. This situation results from an asymmetrical relationship between majority and minority. In contrast to migrants, semi-autonomous minorities are well-integrated into Austrian society. Yet, there are a number of parallels between ethnic minorities and migrants in reference to the ways they are dealt with by agents such as the media, politicians and the general public. The Austrian media landscape reflects the conflict-ridden situation of ethnic minorities and migrants. 1. Introduction In the perception of the general public, ethnic minorities and migrants have something in common: both groups have problems with their image. At best, their image is neutral; but very often, esteem for both segments of society is slight, and thus, they have a negative image among the population. In Austria, semi-autonomous minorities are a fairly local phenomenon in certain parts of the country. The largest minority includes approximately 30,000 members, but in spite of this small number ethnic minorities have always been a “conflict-ridden” issue in Austrian politics and media. Croats in Burgenland and Slovenes in Carinthia have been officially recognised in Austria since 1955. Yet, the key issue has always been –- and still is –- the implementation of Article 7 of the Austrian State Treaty of 1955, which grants minorities the right to educational opportunities in their own language and the right to use their own topographic designations and (road) signs officially and to use their native language in public institutions. The controversies about the installation of bilingual road signs in the Slovenian and German languages in Carinthia (“Ortstafelkonflikt”) have clearly