MEDIA SELF-REGULATION IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE AND TURKEY SELF-REGULATION PRINCIPLES Media self-regulation is about freedom. Free media are a pillar of a free and democratic society. The definition of freedom, the fight for it, and the actual realization of whether one has it or has lost it – all these issues have been the subject of numerous debates over the centuries. Self-regulation is vital for media precisely because the media are regarded as a democracy watchdog. If an individual or an organization has the mission to protect other people’s values and national achievements, this imposes great moral obligations. Those obligations should be subject to self-regulation, not imposed by any state, and not to any other kind of order or control, because no matter what political regime is in power, the world’s laws are based on free will and the daily choices we make. Self-regulation is also important for media as it has the power to generate change: of mentality, behaviour, policy, life. If the media want to be a driver of change, they should be responsible enough to change and develop constantly. Viewpoints on media self-regulation vary from culture to culture and from continent to continent. In closed or transitional societies the issue is seen more as one of advocacy. Self-regulation functions primarily for the protection of media from political censorship, economic dependence and devastating court cases. Others see media self-regulation as an educational tool for both journalists – since it imposes high professional standards – and the public – since it demands more vigilant media literacy. Last but not least, self-regulation is regarded as a tool for media accountability, which is so necessary and important if there is to be trust in the media. MEDIA ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS Media self-regulation is equally important in developing countries and in those with mature democracies, as achieving freedom and independence is just as important as their preservation and protection in a socially responsible way. Self-regulation protects the right of journalists to be independent and impartial, and to be judged for professional mistakes, not by those in power but by their colleagues. It aims at establishing minimum standards on accuracy, professional ethics, protection of privacy and other personal rights, preserving editorial freedom and freedom of speech, as well as a diversity of points of view and opinions. Media self-regulation involves editors, media professionals, journalists and civil society as the main media consumers. Media consumers increasingly seek guarantees of the values and quality of media, and in this era of information overload, when we are flooded with news particularly via the Internet, credibility is challenged as never before. In an era when literally everyone can report the events they witness, the challenge to traditional media to prove their reliability becomes a life-or-death issue for them. Complaint mechanisms offer quality assurance and feedback. Often they are the fastest and most efficient way to obtain justice in the event of factual errors or violation of rights, in contrast with undertaking a long and devastating legal process. And here comes a very important task of media self-regulation – to make sure that those who report events quickly also report them correctly. Responsible self-regulation guards freedom of expression, but it is not meant to reduce the noise level of democracy , as Miklos Haraszti, former Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on freedom of Media, puts it. It is meant to set that noise at an acceptable level for the public, to produce music for those who – especially in new democracies – can find heated disputes which appear to them to be gratuitous to be a nuisance. There have been a number of attempts to define the purpose of media accountability systems (MAS). In this paper the author takes the view that they are the means by which the public can induce the media generally to behave responsibly and fairly, and individual journalists to respect the rules of their profession. There are a number of diverse systems which attempt to do this, including codes of ethics or conduct, media ombudsmen, councils and tribunals, for example in association with professional journalists’ associations. There are instances where MAS exist within the media (for example, as a regular column or correction box in a newspaper or magazine), and others when they act as a joint structure of the media and the public (for example, a press council). PRESS COUNCILS The press council is probably the best-known mechanism for the enforcement of media self-regulation. It is a flexible structure which is normally shaped according to the local cultural, historical and political contexts and traditions, hence there is no universal model for a press council. According to the RJI global journalists’ resource ( rjionline.org/mas/about/index.php):in its ideal shape, it gathers and represents all three major actors of social communication: the people who own the power to inform, those who possess the talent to inform and those who have the right to be informed. Because a council has no power to force anyone to do anything, its efficiency depends on the cooperation of all groups involved – proprietors, reporters and the public. That association is as important for what it implies as for what it can achieve. It implies that it is not acceptable for someone to use a news medium as he/she wants, just because she/he owns it or possesses political power. By setting up a tripartite council, owners acknowledge that their employees are entitled to a major say in the process, and journalists acknowledge that media users also have a function. That is a great step for civic engagement and democracy. Press councils are essentially good for building trust and credibility in the media, for serving as a driver to improve quality standards, for preventing interference from the state and other authorities, and for reducing the number of lawsuits against journalists and media organizations. The main duties of a press council are to: - accept complaints - verify the eligibility of the complaint for the process - review the complaint thoroughly from all angles - serve as a mediator between the plaintiff and the media - take decisions on complaints based on rules and regulations - identify breaches by the media of the code of ethics - secure the transparency of and publicity for all decisions taken - analyse and comment on trends in the media, and provide guidance regarding norms - set professional standards for journalists - suggest amendments to the code of ethics (if mandated to do so) - defend press freedom. A working press council should give comprehensive representation to all stakeholders (journalists, editors, media owners, media consumers, civil society), and all members should be of good standing and publicly acceptable. In order to be beneficial for both the media and society, a press council should develop and establish working rules and procedures, and its members should continuously dedicate their efforts to building trust in the concept of self-regulation. There are countries with long-established press councils (such as Norway, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands), and there are also councils in transitional contexts (including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Armenia, Serbia, as well as in Kosovo – as understood in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244), where recent democratic changes facilitated the explosion of independent media, and so increased the need for self-regulation. However, some notable exceptions should be pointed out. Austria, the Czech Republic and France are still in a process of establishing their systems, while press councils do not exist in Italy, Greece, Poland, Portugal and the USA. Roughly half of existing press councils cover both print and electronic media, as is the case for instance in Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark. However, some well-known press councils cover only print media, as happens in the United Kingdom and Sweden. Source: Professional Journalism Self-regulation (UNESCO)
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 23:26:45 +0000
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