As a symbolic system of social representation, media construct cultural relations. They also constitute the 'other' through the process of othering (Bourdieu 2001; Ott/Mack 2014). In this respect, mediality should be analysed in relation to its role in the production of antigypsyism, a specific form of racism that particularly affects members of the heterogeneous Roma communities. Stereotypes and strategies of representation such as exoticisation, demonization and criminalization were already part of early modern history and have been constructed in various media over the centuries (literature: Bogdal 2011; Brittnacher 2012, film: Mladenova 2019; Josting et al. 2017; photography: Bell/Suckow 2008, Reuter 2016; public reporting: End, 2014, UKA 2021). As a result, antigypsyism has become widespread in Germany and in other European societies. The media shape public discourse about Roma and has an impact on their positioning in German society (End 2014). Also, there is less mention of the genocide during the Second World War or about current marginalisation and structural discrimination.

Stereotyping practices influence the media socialization of children and young people and reinforce hegemonic knowledge in public discourse. They have massive effects on Roma individuals (UKA 2021). People who experience discrimination have fears regarding the media. Parents are challenged to address antigypsyism in children's literature and TV programs with their kids, and media creators and producers from Roma communities must navigate the contradictions of re-presentation policies (Randjelović et al. 2020). However, media also contest antigypsyism (End 2014), for example, by revealing it as a form of discrimination, deconstructing stereotypes, or enabling new strategies of representation. This makes the media not only an important resource for counter-strategies, but also for the development of critical media literacy (Kellner/Share 2007), and critical teacher training. Professional training for teacher trainees is essential, as all existing studies in Germany consider schools as place characterised by structural antigypsyism, where pupils from Roma communities, for example, experience massive discrimination (Scherr/Sachs 2018; Randjelović et al. 2020; Cudak/Rostas, 2023, Pasquali 2023; Reuter 2023). Teacher trainees, however, have only limited knowledge about antigypsyism (Knothe/Sigel 2019; UKA 2021) and are involved in practices of institutional antigypsyism (Scherr/Sachs 2018). The selection of media content in lessons and the ways in which it is discussed reflect institutionalized values that can either grant or withdraw recognition from students. For tomorrow´s teachers, this requires the competence to identify and reflect on stereotypes and to address discrimination.

In this paper, we first discuss the results of a qualitative reception study on certain media content, and we show how people belonging to Roma communities receive and respond to the antigypsyism conveyed by the media. This includes their experience with media discrimination and the strategies they use to cope with it. The modes of reception are examined based on media content with either national or international reach. Secondly, we explore the starting points and ambiguities of the idea of using the views and voices collected in the reception study as polyphonic resources. These resources would be applied to an interactive digital learning platform that supports the development of critical media literacy in teacher training.

This contribution is part of a funded project with 5 research areas focusing on media antigypsyism. Through three analytical examinations, media antigypsyism is reconstructed in children's and youth literature, in film and television and in public reporting. In this context, the paper focuses on qualitative reception analysis of such media and examines the experiences of discrimination faced by members of the Roma communities in their biographical trajectories, using 12 narrative interviews (Kruse 2015). The sampling criteria include age and generation, and political and media activity (not involved/engaged in organisations; media activists). The way consumers process media antigypsyism depends on their social and historical contexts. It reflects their social position in societal inequalities, as well as their knowledge and prior experience (Hall 1993). Furthermore teachers, teacher trainees, experts from the field of political education, media creators and producers, media activists, civil rights activists and descendants of Holocaust survivors were interviewed in group discussions. The media presented in the group discussions were selected from the media analysis conducted in the project. We applied a reconstructive approach to analyse implicit knowledge. The data from the interviews and group discussions was investigated using grounded theory (Strübing 2021). In addition, the project design combines critical media research with reception studies to apply the findings in research-based teaching strategies for critical media literacy in teacher training.

As a result, media content plays a significant role in both reproducing and challenging antigypsyist stereotypes, with the way it is received varying among individuals. The study shows that media representations often move between two dominant modes of media production: the reproduction of expectations and the inversion of expectations. The reproduction of expectations is manifested in stereotypical portrayals, such as extended familialisation, gender stereotyping, racialisation and precarisation, or through selective manipulation in reporting. In contrast, the inversion of expectations highlights supposed exceptions, such as presenting the educational success of individuals as extraordinary. The research also shows that resistant media practices exist that challenge these dominant narrative patterns. Representing yourself as a member of a minority community in the media is often experienced as a form of pressure and as a requirement to legitimise your voice. Public visibility creates its own specific vulnerabilities. These insights form the basis for the application in teacher training and the development of a teaching strategy for critical media literacy. The combination of media analysis and reception studies offers a multi-perspective view and could help to enhance critical media literacy. By developing a digital learning platform, we aim to create a critical perspective on representation through a polyphonic space of representation. The analysis of powerful media projections is compared with the insights of people who have experienced discrimination. Various design and instructional formats are developed based on the connection between media content and reception. This includes addressing learners from multiple perspectives and through various modes, such as opposition, commentary, dialogue, the democratisation of knowledge, and the ambivalences between voice and debate that can arise in the constellation of critical representation.

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