Who gets media in their language? Linguistic hierarchies and minority language media in Italy

Minority language media are important spaces for linguistic communities to remain visible and participate in public life, but access to such media is not distributed equally. This blog explores how legal recognition shapes the opportunities available to different minority languages, using Italy as a case study. It shows how Italy's system creates distinct levels of legal protection and media opportunity, while also highlighting the role of territorial and institutional factors in determining whether recognition translates into meaningful media provision. The Italian case illustrates why legal recognition matters for minority language media—but also why recognition alone is not enough.