A Declaration Fit for the New World of Information

I remain astonished that so few journalists understand the difference between freedom of expression and media freedom. It's one of the reasons that there's so much confusion and uncertainty among scribblers high and low, electronic and otherwise, about how to cope with the information chaos of the Internet.

So let's have a simple run through the basics. Freedom of expression is the right to say what you want, how you want and when you want. It's an entirely selfish exercise. You can be as opinionated, indecent, untruthful and as biased as you like.

There are no rules (apart from the law of the land which forbids anyone expressing themselves in a way that endangers others. You know the sort of theing -- child porn, shouting "fire" in a crowded theatre, inciting people to violence and hatred). That is the glory of the Internet. It is the fountain of a great global conversation in which everyone with access to a computer and a provider can join.

The mass of the Internet, unruly and unregulated, provides more scope for free expression than we have ever had in history. Great. But it's not journalism.

Media freedom and journalism are something different. They are not selfish. They are not without responsibility and rules. They organise expression in a framework of values that obliges those involved to have respect for others.

This framework of values is based on four key obligations:

Number one: tell the truth. Journalists do not lie. They should give all the facts they have at their disposal. They should not hide or suppress evidence or be deceptive in the way they handle it. Journalists will not always be able to tell the full truth, but they should tell their stories in a way that reveals the truth as best they know it.

Number two: be independent. Journalists are not propagandists. They are not in the pockets of politicians, or advertisers, or corporate bosses, or social causes. Independence from vested interests and telling stories from an independent perspective is the only way to assure a degree of impartiality and distance in reporting.

Number three: do no harm. Journalists and media must always be aware of the damage the words and images they use can do to people. They must consider the impact of their story-telling on the people affected. They must ask, who will suffer if we use this story? What will be the consequences of publishing this picture? Does publication serve public good and does the public interest in this information trump the damage that may be caused?

Number four: be accountable. Journalists and media must justify their actions. If they make mistakes they have to correct them. They have to be ready to own up to weakness and failure. They have to be transparent in their operations. They have to ethical in their methods. Accountability and honest dealing is not just for reporters. It is an ethical value that applies from the boardroom to the basement.

These obligations and duties form the core of the mission of journalism. They are what makes media freedom different from freedom of expression and they illustrate why media freedom is important for democracy. Without access to reliable information people know less about the world around them. Importantly, they are unable to understand the events around them and unable to hold their political leaders or other powerful people and institutions to account.

The problem is that in our over-connected world we are under-informed. That's why we need to build an information system that allows for more media freedom and not just the exponential growth of free expression.

With this in mind European journalists' leaders met in Varna, Bulgaria, yesterday and adopted a challenging declaration about the future of European media. It's a good read. Have a look:

Journalism in the Vanguard of Change

Declaration of the European Federation of Journalists
16-17 May 2009, Varna, Bulgaria


The dramatic restructuring of the media economy across the world and particularly in Europe poses serious questions for all in journalism and the media industry.

The technology that allows people to create and share content is undercutting media that serve their communities. As blogs and social networks shine a light on new parts of the world, in other parts traditional media, particularly newspapers, are turning the lights out.

Media markets are collapsing. The flight of advertising to the Internet and a new generation of users who have less time for newspapers and traditional television have caused panic in an industry which is cutting jobs and slashing editorial costs at the expense of quality journalism and weakening democratic pluralism.

Over the past months, the decline of journalism and media in Europe, caused by
employers desperate to squeeze even more profits out of the media sector, has been dramatically accelerating as a result of the recent economic downturn. However, the media crisis we are witnessing in Europe has been years in the making and predates the recent recession.

The crisis is having a dramatic impact on media coverage of the political, social and democratic life of Europe. The balance between private sector media and publicly-funded outlets, broadcasting in particular, which has traditionally provided pluralist and diverse information services to European citizens is seriously disturbed.

There is no longer any certainty that media pluralism can be assured. The private sector is no longer able to guarantee the provision of information services that have been central to preserving and enhancing standards of democracy in Europe.

At the same time, the public broadcasting landscape is in a crisis of its own, and is still subject to undue political pressures. In the heartlands of European media both public and private media are equally under extraordinary pressure.

This is not a short-term crisis. The extent of the collapse of traditional media in the United States has already caused enormous shock both to media practitioners and public bodies. And there is little doubt, sooner rather than later, that Europe, too, will face the consequences of market restructuring.

This change is inexorable and offers potential for the creation of more open, more engaged and more informed communities, but this will only happen if there is protection for the professional, public purposes of journalism – to stimulate, educate and inform public debate, and to call to account those who exercise power in society. Journalism provides the mechanism for scrutiny and a check on corruption and it keeps societies open.

In response to this challenging environment the European Federation of Journalists believes that the future of journalism must be brought into the heart of debate at national and international level about the key role media across Europe play in building democracy based upon stability, social justice and fairness.

Journalists and their unions are determined to defend the working conditions, professional standards and union rights that are the lifeblood of democratic media. We believe that journalism and media professionalism which is the creative heart of European media must be protected, nourished and encouraged to develop.

With this in mind the EFJ is calling for a continental campaign to revive commitments to public service values in media and quality journalism, through the Ethical Journalism Initiative and according to the following principles:

1 The EFJ remains implacably opposed to all forms of censorship and self-censorship that are barriers to progress. Democracy cannot function if governments fail to create the legal and regulatory conditions that allow journalists to work freely.

2 Journalism needs to be reliable and credible and that requires investment in jobs and the work that journalists do and the elimination of precarious social and working conditions. The right of all journalists – permanent staff or freelance – to work in decent conditions, with their authors’ rights and professional status underpinned by protective regulation is a guarantor of quality journalism.

3 There must be more commitment to education and training and professional education – particularly in societies striving to develop more open, pluralist and representative government.

4 Multimedia convergence requires new models of governance; press council and broadcast media councils and different forms of self-regulation, co-regulation and legally-binding rules. Existing structures are increasingly made obsolete by the realities of the Internet.

5 The changing world of information requires innovation a new vision, based upon old and tested values. The EFJ recognises that the challenges cannot be overcome by journalists and their unions acting alone. We need to build new alliances involving all stakeholders – media owners, civil society groups and policymakers at national and European level – to create new dialogues and debates about strengthening the role of media.

We must seize the opportunity of a change of administration within the European Union during 2009 to launch a public debate, at national and European level, about the future of media in Europe.

This debate must not focus only on communications policy or technical issues arising from the technological convergence of telephony, broadcasting, print and digital media. These are important, but the critical and historical challenge is to reinforce the role of journalism as a core mechanism for pluralism and public engagement in the democratic life of Europe.

For this reason the EFJ, during its Annual Meeting 2009 in Varna, declares that it will place the journalists of Europe in the vanguard of change with the following actions:

· To campaign vigorously for changes in European policymaking to permit a full examination of media developments and to encourage new initiatives, including a European-wide media summit involving all stakeholders and the creation of a European Union media task-force, with union representation, to guide member states in their navigation of the uncertainties created by the media crisis;

· To investigate, with media owners and other partners, the scope for improving structures for dialogue with governments, politicians and state authorities

· To support proposals at national and European level for urgent support for media, insisting that any forms of assistance whether in traditional or innovative forms must be conditional upon the following:

Respect for the core ethical principles of editorial independence and journalistic freedom are protected and enhanced in the changing landscape of media organisation and journalistic development;

Respect for social rights, including labour standards and decent working conditions for journalists and other media employees;

Investment in quality journalism, promotion of diversity and reaffirmation of public service values in a pluralist media landscape.

· To continue to monitor changes taking place across the industry in Europe and to report on developments;

· To support journalists in their resistance to reckless cost-cutting strategies and to promote the development of strong EFJ unions across Europe and their capacity to reach out to all groups in society, notably young people;

· To organise, during 2009, a European-wide conference on the media crisis to identify further actions to be taken in the defence of journalistic work and the development of new initiatives to strengthen media in Europe.

The EFJ believes the future offers great opportunities as well as powerful challenges. We support our member unions in their defence of the profession and the jobs of journalists; we demand that with change comes responsibility to provide protection for social and professional rights; and we shall continue to promote new dialogues and debates on the future that must embrace a society of values, dialogue and press freedom for all.

Varna
May 16th 2009