Kiev, 15/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - Government experts and media professionals are to hold a forum so that they may exchange their points of view on the rights and responsibilities of journalists in times of crisis. The idea of such a forum was adopted by ministers responsible for media policy and communications from the forty-six Council of Europe member nations, who met in Kiev (Ukraine) on 10 and 11 March. Ministers also called on the Council of Europe to establish a new category of media that plays a major role in preventing conflict, or in promoting comprehension and dialogue. These two projects come within the framework of a new action plan for facilitating cooperation in the field of the media and new communication services. The plan, adopted after the Kiev conference, calls on European ministers to protect public service broadcasters and to actively promote participation in democratic processes, mainly through new forms of communication technology.
The 7th European ministerial conference on mass communications policy was opened by Maud De Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. “We are undeniably going through a period of deep change (…). We must never forget that our duty is to ensure that there is full compliance with freedom of expression and information”, she stressed, considering that the conference in Kiev, the town of the “Orange Revolution”, was “very appropriate and symbolic”. “We all felt very proud at seeing that the culture of democracy has taken hold on our continent (…) European governments will find it more difficult than before to make their population accept electoral fraud”, she said with delight. President Viktor Yushchenko, who was loudly applauded, promised that the Ukrainian government will now be the “partner” of journalists rather than their “enemy”: “The setting in place of partnership relations with the media will be one of the key objectives of the new government”, he assured. He pointed out that he would do everything possible for inquiries to be conducted as quickly as possible in the matters concerning Ukrainian journalists and announced that the Guéroguy Gongadzé (Ed.: opponent to former President Kuchma found assassinated four years ago without any investigation being opened) affair is now practically solved. “Despite all the difficulties, senior police officials will be directly brought into question”, the president said.
The Turkish, Swedish and Polish delegations presented reports that they had prepared with a view to adopting three resolutions. That by Turkey on free expression and information in times of crisis, recommends review of the legal texts in force in order to improve guarantees of freedom of expression and information in times of crisis, the adoption of mechanisms to guarantee the free movement of journalists and the setting up of centres to train journalists who work in countries at wart. Highly criticised for the pressure put on the media during the Beslan tragedy, Russia seized this opportunity to give its own version of the event, saying that “by meticulously sifting through the pictures”, the media hoped to put the terrorists in the limelight as little as possible, the Russian representative said, assuring, moreover, that “our government does not restrict media activity” which is an “indisputable right”.
Sweden presented a report on the pluralism of the media at the time of globalisation, noting that radical restructuring of the media market is underway, with increasing competition between the various types of media and the phenomenon of ownership concentration. It is crucial to protect media diversity, as “tolerance of divergent opinions is the proof of democracy”, the report notes. In their resolution, ministers undertake to promote pluralism of the media, one of their central objectives in the years to come, and to encourage diffusion of diversified content. They support, moreover, the work conducted by UNESCO on an international convention on protecting diversity of cultural content. They also undertake to ensure legal, financial and technical conditions so that public service broadcasters may fulfil their mission. “The small local media contribute to the rich cultural diversity which makes our continent unique”, Ms de Boer-Buquicchio recalled.
The report presented by Poland on ”human rights and regulation of media and new communication services in the information society” asserts that the information and communication technologies (ICT) have a positive as well as negative effect on human rights. On one side, new technologies allow better propagation of the right to education, the right to take part in cultural life and the right to benefit from scientific progress. On the other, the new technologies such as the Internet threaten private life, the right to protect moral and material interests and also copyright.
Nevertheless, “it would be an exaggeration to say that at this stage, the influence of ICT is important enough to demand a general re-evaluation of human rights”, noted Poland, “even if it now appears that the current systems should be adapted”. The recommendation recommends that everyone is ensured access to new technologies in an effort to reduce the “digital divide” and encouraging public education, reinforcing their cooperation to prevent diffusion of damaging content (particularly for protecting minors), combating diffusion of banned materials and promotion of use of the Convention on cyber crime and its protocol on the incrimination of racist or xenophobic acts committed via information technology.
Ministers adopted a resolution on the media in Ukraine. Noting the efforts taken to safeguard and promote the freedom of expression and information and to guarantee a regulatory framework in keeping with the freedom and plurality of the media, ministers called on the Council of Europe to step up cooperation with Ukraine in this sector, thanks notably to the implementation of a new action plan.