Broadcasters' Declaration
Introduction
 WEMF, Geneva 9 December 2003
"A capacity to communicate the richness of thought and feeling is uniquely human.
This capacity was refined and facilitated in the 20th century by the media of radio and television,
which will be even more important in the information society.
Free and independent media are essential to democratic principles and practices. Broadcasting open to
pluralism of opinion and cultural diversity offers the widest public access to the knowledge, education
and information required by an active citizenry.
It is my privilege to present this Declaration of the World Electronic Media Forum to the Secretary
General of the United Nations. This declaration reflects the collective view of the world's public and
private broadcasters. We kindly ask you to communicate it to the heads of state and government attending
the World Summit on the Information Society. Thank you Mr. Annan."
Arne Wessberg
President
European Broadcasting Union
Download the Declaration
Full text of the Declaration with comments from the world's main regions
World Summit on the Information Society
Broadcasters' Declaration
Convinced of the key role of public and private broadcasting, including digital and enhanced
broadcasting in the years ahead, in bringing about an information society in which all citizens are included and can participate,
Stressing broadcasters' commitment and contribution to such fundamental valuesas freedom of expression, access to information, media
pluralism and cultural diversity,
Believing that the information society should be founded on the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
and in particular Article 19, on the fundamental right to freedom of expression,
The World Broadcasting Unions (WBU), comprising regional Broadcasting Unions representing the leading radio and television
organizations throughout the world, hereby put forward the following principles and objectives:
- Communications technology is not an end in itself; it is a vehicle for the provision
of information and content
By definition, the term "information society" refers to the importance of information and content for the public.
Communication should also involve understanding, tolerance, respect and inter-cultural enrichment.
Comment by Peter Matlare, Africa
- Freedom of expression, freedom and pluralism of the
media and cultural diversity should be respected and promoted
Freedom
of expression, pluralism and cultural diversity are fundamental values
and objectives which should underpin the media system and the information
society as a whole, not least in the context of globalization.
Comment by José Roberto Marinho, Latin America and the Caribbean
- The electronic media have a vital role to play
in the information society
The media have a vital role in producing, gathering
and distributing quality content within the information society. Individual
communication has its limits. Communication to the general public will
continue to be essential for, inter alia, selecting and interpreting information
and placing it in its proper context, and to serve as a platform for the
exchange of information and ideas.
Independent broadcasting services at
the national and regional levels play a major role in providing unbiased
information, safeguarding media pluralism and contributing to cultural
diversity, particularly through the promotion of local/regional culture
and audiovisual production, making full use of the various technical means
offered by the information society.
In many parts of the world, independent
public service broadcasting has a special responsibility in this regard.
Distanced from political and economic pressures, it has the role of ensuring
access to information, knowledge, culture and entertainment for all citizens,
including vulnerable and minority groups and of being a driving force
for the creation of domestic content.
Commercial broadcasting, whether
funded by advertising or subscription, contributes to the delivery of
key policy goals such as the production of original and varied content
and the existence of a plurality of news sources. In addition, other forms
of legally established and non-profit media, operated for local communities,
can play an important part by serving women, youth, indigenous people,
children and minority groups.
Comment by Fritz F. Pleitgen, Europe
Comment by Fred Cohen, North America
- Television and radio are crucial for
ensuring social cohesion and development in the digital world
The future
is not only "on-line". Providing both information and entertainment to
all, radio and television are closely linked to the daily life of everyone,
and they will retain their unique level of presence, existing, in many
countries, in virtually every home. They have huge digital potential for,
for instance, the distribution of multimedia content.
Especially for the
developing countries, traditional radio and television will continue to
be the most effective way of delivering high-quality information on, for
example, health-care and education, of combating illiteracy, of debating
issues of general interest and of promoting a culture of peace. These
media need to be strengthened to be able to reach out to everybody. Moreover,
poor, remote communities cannot be made part of the "wired" generation
without a significant improvement in their living conditions.
Comment by Katsuji Ebisawa, Asia and Pacific
- Information should remain accessible and affordable to every one
Access
to information is a fundamental human right. The reception of broadcast
services therefore needs to remain accessible and affordable for citizens,
and broadcasters must have access to events of interest to the public.
The new opportunities offered by the information age should also be at
the service of the whole range of communities. Free-to-air broadcasting,
and especially broadcasting with universal coverage, are important means
of achieving this objective. If new electronic media are to achieve the
same objective, open and interoperable platforms are essential.
Comment by Hassan Mohamed Hamed, Arab World
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Statements from broadcasters representing the world's main regions:
Peter Matlare, for Africa
Comments on Article 1 of the Broadcasters' Declaration.
I was asked to comment on the first paragraph of the Broadcasters' declaration, a section which states that information
technology is not an end in itself, but rather a means to an end. Clearly the secret is in the content - the information
that validates, that brings to life the technology, and not the other way round. …. I thought about the business we are in
and the range of people we serve. I also thought about universality and the role that content and technology play in universality.
The British historian Arnold Toynbee divided the history of the human race into three phases. Very briefly and simplistically:
During the first phase, the growth of knowledge and its dissemination were extremely slow. Every development and every idea could
spread everywhere before the next phase began. Consequently, societies developed virtually in tandem and had much in common. The second
phase, lasting several thousands of years. It saw knowledge increasing much faster than the means of disseminating it. As a result,
societies became increasingly divergent in every area.
In the third, fairly recent phase, knowledge has advanced rapidly. But communication has become even faster. The upshot is that
societies are becoming less and less disparate.
Now, in the 21st century, we are subjected to the global, concentrated, uncontrollable interchange of information. The swift,
inescapable transmission of knowledge has led us increasingly in the direction of universality or globalisation, causing
profound alteration in perceptions and behaviour. Every distinguishing characteristic of societies, and the boundaries between
them, are coming under pressures aimed at diminishing and obliterating them. This has had an equally fundamental effect on how
we see ourselves with regard to our personal and national identity.
We accept some of these things as inescapable, some as advantageous. But we balk at threats to crucial elements of our identity:
things such as our language, religion, cultural symbols, and independence. Never have people everywhere had more in common. Yet
never have we been more motivated to assert our differences. We are faced with the dichotomy of a desire for universality and a
need for identity. Technology can be, and must be, an enabling factor in this quest.
As residents of the "global village", we can make a significant contribution, but only if we maintain our identity as Africans
and global citizens. We have to recognise that 'universality' does not equate with uniformity'. We should recognise our identity
in part as members of the human community, but without sacrificing our singularity as Africans. Through visible symbols, we need
to make the effort to show that we identify with what we see around us; that we recognise ourselves in the images of our countries.
We have to show that we are involved and not merely spectators, watching apprehensively from the sidelines.
The onus on us as Africans of this generation is not just to have a vision of our future, but to have practical plans, route maps
and signposts to mark our progress and demonstrate success.
Clearly technology has - and will - play a significant part in allowing us as Africans as global citizens to take this rich
content that we have developed for centuries and make it relevant to all.
Digital cameras, digital edit suites and digital playout systems are a means to make this a reality. The investment in these systems
is futile if we can not tell our stories, if we cannot bring into your homes that which is relevant. In South Africa right now, more
than 100 000 high school pupils are waiting for their end of year results. These results will be published in the papers and at their
schools. However they will be able to hear it first on an automated phone line set up by the SABC for this purpose. The pupil dials the
phone number, keys in a unique exam code and instantly finds out her results. It is great for the system technology works. But it is
the results that count…The content.
Whilst international agencies will provide news stories about the World Summit for the Information Society, we have gone to
considerable effort to ensure that our audiences back home will have a picture of the proceedings and hence its relevance to them.
The fact that we are using web based services to get our pictures would be of little consequence if we were not convinced of the
relevance of the material.
For these reasons, we feel that Paragraph One of the WSIS Broadcasters' Declaration correctly emphasises the importance of
information and content above that of technology.
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José Roberto Marinho, for Latin America and
the Caribbean.
Comments on Article 2 of the WSIS Broadcasters' Declaration.
Freedom of expression and pluralism of ideas and opinions depend on the existence of different forms of media. None of them should
be subject to censorship or coercion. Nor should they have their editorial decisions dictated by any centralized entity. They should be
able to freely vent their different views of the world.
For this situation to prosper, the co-existence of different types of media organizations is essential. These may be in the form of
private companies, not-for-profit organizations and state-owned companies. There should also be a mix of large and small entities,
some of them having an international focus, and others targeting national, regional or local communities. Only media diversity, with
different economic purposes, coverage and size, is going to guarantee the diversity of content and opinion as well as assure opportunities
of choice for the public. After all, the public should ultimately decide what they want to see, hear and read.
Therefore, media freedom and content diversity are conditions for freedom of choice and opinion. However, today, we are living a
paradox: never before has the world offered such a wide diversity of media options. And never before has there been such a great
risk of communication becoming so globally concentrated.
The globalization of communication creates both opportunities and threats at the same time. It creates new options for the individual
to be informed, educated and entertained. It creates possibilities for cultures to be seen as well as to be enriched through a
constructive cross-fertilization. However, if the enormous economic power wielded by the major transnational media groups is used
in an unbalanced manner, we risk becoming a divided world between content producers and consumers. And that translates into a loss
of cultural identity and the creation of excluded groups in countries with smaller or weaker economies, not to mention a leveling down
and sapping of intellectual life as a whole.
In the past, the greatest threat to the freedom and pluralism of the media came from authoritarian governments in many countries.
Currently, this same threat (which still exists) has been added another: the need for balance in relation to the power of the global
media organizations. This threat has escalated with the convergence of the media and telecommunications companies. One of the most
important challenges we increasingly face is to ensure that the diversified content of media companies can flow freely along the
content distribution channels.
For this freedom to be guaranteed, we have to distinguish between communication, a social fact, and distribution, a physical
infrastructure. The latest technological facilities and convergence in the media sector cannot blind us to the different needs,
concerns and regulations which should govern each one of these fields. Telecommunication and content distribution channels are
services and tools that create enormous possibilities for well-being and an improved quality of life.
Social communication is the content which travels along these channels and which transforms this possibility into reality. Distribution
is the body while communication is the soul of society. Distribution channels are commodities, while communication is a cultural asset
of immeasurable strategic value to the people. Both industries must act together, without one dominating the other. Communication without
distribution is a show for the few, bringing no benefit to the population at large. On the other hand, a situation whereby telecommunication
companies control content and social communication mean the shortest route to monotone thinking and the loss of national cultural identity.
There are three conditions for the free media to prevail nowadays. First, international media giants cannot offset national and local media.
Second, a rich portfolio of media options should be available for to public, with no centralized guidance. Third, telecommunication companies
should not be allowed to control media companies.
At the end of the day, a free media must provide each citizen with both a mirror and a window. In other words, like a mirror, it must
ensure that each one has the right to recognize him- or herself in what is seen, heard and read. This engenders a feeling of belonging
to society. At the same time, like a window, it must broaden horizons, allowing each and everyone to live new experiences and see beyond
his or her own particular world.
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Fritz F. Pleitgen, for Europe.
Comments on Article 3 (paragraphs 1-3) of the WSIS Broadcasters' Declaration.
Article 3 of the common platform of the World Broadcasting Union speaks about the vital role that electronic media in general,
and broadcasting in particular, will play in the information society. In this new era, all of us will communicate individually via
the Internet - thus in a somewhat isolated way. But we will also need overviews of what else is happening in the world and explanations
as to why it is happening.
In the knowledge society, we will be more dependent on information than ever before in human history. At same time, the need to develop
individual professional expertise will grow ever greater. However, the more people become experts in one small area of human knowledge,
the less capacity they have to follow other developments. This means they will need to depend more on trusted agents to provide them
with this information in a reliable and easily understandable way.
Speaking to you from the perspective of Director General of a large independent German public service broadcasting organisation and
as a journalist, I can testify that this is what we are mandated to achieve: Our role is one of a trusted agent. Through our radio
and television programmes we aspire to bring the world to our listeners and viewers whereever they are, whatever their personal
background, and whatever their economic means.
However, this kind of task brings with it great responsibilities. Television is a powerful communications tool. It disseminates
compelling images and important messages for 24 hours a day to millions of people. This is why independent broadcasting services
are so important: Distanced from political and economic pressures, i.e. independent of either media moguls, giant corporations,
or governments, and with public instead of private funding, our public service mission requires us to provide unbiased information.
It also requires us to contribute to cultural diversity through informational, educational, cultural, as well as entertainment and
sports programmes. We are expected to reflect vulnerable and minority interests in our programmes, promote indigenous productions,
and generally guarantee access for every citizen in society to a wealth of high quality information, knowledge, culture, and entertainment.
Europe, we refer to independent broadcasting services with such missions as public service broadcasting. This signifies that our programmes
are considered to be in the general public interest. We are not providing a commercial service which is simply determined by the market
laws of demand and supply. In Europe, this public service is legally safeguarded in a special amendment to the Treaty of the European
Communities, because we believe that public service broadcasting plays a vital role in the freedom of speech, media pluralism, cultural
diversity, and democracy as a whole. In order to ensure that we properly fulfil our public service remit, independent representatives
of the general public control our activities through so-called broadcasting councils. This makes us accountable to the citizens for what
we do as public broadcasters.
We in Europe are convinced that public service broadcasting can serve as a model for the information society. With media concentration
ever growing, and globally marketed audiovisual content flooding our television screens, we will be needed, perhaps more than ever
before, to be the trusted information agents for our citizens, to contribute to cultural diversity, and to help safeguard media pluralism.
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Fred Cohen, for North America.
Comments on Article 3 ( 1-2-4 ) of the WSIS Broadcasters' Declaration.
Today's gathering of the World Electronic Media Forum is an important step in helping to define the guiding principles as we move
forward in the electronic age. The role of the broadcasters in the information society is constantly changing and evolving.
Keeping abreast of the latest developments and applications of the communications media is a 24- hour, seven-day-a-week task.
We are, indeed, in the digital world.
And yet as broadcasters and media professionals, we have an extremely important role to play in helping ensure that quality
content is provided to the many diverse publics on all levels. We must help bridge the gap between the haves and have nots.
However, convergence of media - whether satellite, television, computers, personal video recorders, PDA's, digital audio,
bio-information technology, the list goes on - does not mean in the United States or elsewhere there should be requisite
convergence of opinions or attitudes delivered by the media. A healthy and respectful diet of diversity of news, information,
education, and entertainment helps to ensure the future growth of the information society. For without that diversity from all
sources on the international, national, and local level, we will have failed our public responsibility as broadcasters.
A diverse mix of content from commercial and public service broadcasting (both radio and television), cablecasting, satellite,
internet, wire or wireless to all publics on an equal access basis is essential in the information age. This will require
significant investment from both private and public sources as the new information infrastructure and content platforms are f
urther developed to meet the needs and interests of all peoples throughout the world.
However, as broadcasters, there can be no more important investment that we can make than to invest in the education and
development of the creative talents, media expertise, and integrity of our young children. They are the future of the digital
age. Whether on the national, international, and increasingly local level, we must assist in the education and training of
the next generation of broadcasters, journalists and digicasters. They will be responsible for the creation and delivery of
the content for the new digital age. And that content, like the faces of our future broadcasters, must respect and honour
the cultural diversity in both the workplace and on the TV screens around the world.
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Katsuji Ebisawa, for Asia-Pacific
Comments on Article 4 of the WSIS Broadcasters' Declaration.
Broadcasting is a form of culture that has made constant progress since its birth in the 20th century, incorporating the
most advanced technologies of the times. Assimilating technological benefits, radio has enhanced its services, while
television has evolved from black and white to colour broadcasting, and further to "Hi-Vision" HDTV broadcasts. Now,
the world of broadcasting is faced with a sweeping transformation from analogue to digital services.
This digitalization of broadcasts is a global task. With the line between broadcasting and telecommunications vanishing
as a result of digital advancements, television in the 21st century, with its capacity to transcend national borders,
is becoming a general information terminal in each household that enables family members to access telecom lines for
information, not to mention viewing broadcast programs.
Broadcasting has great potential to make specific content available for many in real-time. Through broadcasts,
mankind nowadays can instantly share wide-ranging information on such global issues as population, food, energy
and other resources, the environment, and education. As you will experience later on, through broadcasting we
can share delight at the magnificent natural beauty of the earth relayed live from Antarctica, a continent called
the window on the environment, while taking the opportunity to start working together for the sake of preserving
the planet. Broadcasting thus has the power to enhance social cohesion among a diverse audience.
Broadcasting can also play a vital role, in conjunction with international events, in advancing regional culture and public
welfare. Last year, we at the APBU, or the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, launched the annual "Asia-Pacific Robot Contest,"
an event hosted on a rotating basis and aired in relevant countries and regions. This year, students of 20 universities from
19 countries and regions got together in Bangkok, Thailand, to match their wits and ingenuity using robots of their own creation.
I believe this new initiative has tapped a rich potential in science and technology, as well as offered an opportunity for
youngsters to cultivate their creativity while nurturing their dreams and hopes.
We broadcasters have to continue to enhance our services by drawing from the digital edge. This spirit was confirmed at the
recent General Assembly of the APBU held in Istanbul, a city called the crossroad of culture between East and West, when
we resolved to promote exchange of information on digital broadcasts both in terms of engineering and production, so that
people in the ABU region may share the benefits of digitalization at the earliest possible date. We also confirmed that
we do this in concert with the European Broadcasting Union. Through these endeavors, we would like to make the utmost
efforts to help diminish and prevent the "digital divide" information gap, in our ongoing quest to enhance broadcasting
services around the globe.
I believe there is rising momentum now for the creation of a world in which mankind will appreciate different cultures and
respect different values through broadcasting. It is increasingly important for us broadcasters to embrace such perceptions
of this time, and provide quality information that will help enrich people's lives in such fields as education and medicine,
and that will help us secure world peace, from a public point of view and with lofty aspirations.
We broadcasters must dedicate ourselves to the promotion of dialogue among civilizations and enhance mutual understanding,
as our principal mission in the digital society of the 21st century.
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Hassan Mohamed Hamed, for the Arab world
Comments on Article 5 of the WSIS Broadcasters' Declaration.
There comes a time when words are inadequate to express a thought or a feeling. Before such a distinguished audience,
I find myself privileged to convey heartfelt greetings from Egypt, the cradle of civilization and heart of the Arab World.
The Arab area - as you all know - is the birthplace of the three divine religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This has
indeed given enormous weight to human relations, focusing all the more on human activities related to the dissemination of
ideas, thoughts and knowledge. The rich heritage we see today is echoed by the flourishing media industry in this region in
an age of fast developing satellites and media booms.
Allow me to touch on a few points related to information accessibility and affordability.
Government and private sectors should forge ahead to activate and enable broadcasting media institutions to cope with new
forms of digital, transnational, decentralized and interactive broadcasting media by expanding public access, encouraging
free flow of information and a wider and better balanced dissemination of information. Media diversity and a pluralistic
press should be encouraged and supported reflecting the widest possible range of opinion and participation within the community.
Traditional broadcasting media systems should move to deal with the forces of change created by globalization processes. National
and local broadcasting systems must address these changes, promoting concepts of cultural diversity; equitable access to information
and knowledge, especially in the public domain. This includes respect for human rights; freedom of expression; freedom of the press
and strengthening the forces of democracy. National and local broadcasting media systems should make every effort to address public
needs as well as to make information affordable to the majority, free of charge or at a minimum charge.
Every effort should be exerted in order to narrow the dividing gap between the haves and have nots. Until this is achieved,
the haves must shoulder the responsibility of accommodating the needs of the have nots. It is our duty to balance the flow
of information and fight all aspects of misinformation stemming from discrimination on the basis of race, colour or creed.
Better access to information means empowering the weak, the needy and the oppressed as well as opening all windows of hope before
them. Let their frail voices be heard loud and clear. Let us unite our efforts to abolish all the man-made checkpoints of fear
and misgivings and eradicate the high walls of arrogance and hatred . Let us get rid of the malpractices of stereotyping and
ridiculing the other simply because he belongs to another culture. Understanding each other's cultures will lead to a more
coherent and peaceful world. Ladies and Gentlemen. The challenges are great, but the opportunities are greater and together
we will prevail.
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