CoE endorses bigger public service, chides back-sliders

Michael Hedges February 21, 2012 Follow on Twitter

Haggling over what is and should be public service broadcasting has only been exacerbated by, in no particular order, the digital dividend and austerity economics. Add to that increasingly irritated private sector media operators thinking about competition and not just a few governments with an authoritarian bent thinking about self-preservation. With that in mind, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers formally adopted a declaration with recommendations supporting public service media.

The CoE declaration (February 16) urged “Member States to renovate the governance framework of public service media in order to adapt to the new communication environment, where the relationship with the public is based on transparency, openness and dialogue,” according to the CoE website. “Public service media play a vital role in supporting such non-commercial objectives as social progress, public interest and ability to engage with democratic processes, gender equality, intercultural understanding and societal integration. These can be achieved through a varied and high-quality mix of content and services adhering to the highest professional standards, which public service media have offered and will continue to deliver.”

Recommendations were wide ranging; governments should make sure funding is adequate, governments should keep their hands off and the PSB’s should not be evil. The CoE also noted the importance of terminology shift: “The use of the term ‘public service media’ …reflects the fact that, for all public service broadcasters, the transition to a more diverse range of content and services is both inevitable and welcome, even if it happens at different speeds, and responds to different opportunities in different countries. By adopting ‘public service media’ as its generic term, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has recognized the need for public service broadcasters to embrace these changes: the focus of the guiding principles is to help such institutions embrace the need for change and to deliver on these new goals.

German publishers and public broadcasters have been engaged in a war of words about the number of words allowed on public broadcaster’s news websites. Belgian publishers lost a lawsuit (December 2011) attempting to force Belgian French community public broadcaster RTBF to cease all “online written press activities.” And Rupert Murdoch has long and effectively lobbied various UK governments to shrink the BBC.

Grand and bold declarations from European institutions carry high symbolic value and, often, the great weight of binding treaties. The Council of Europe (CoE) is most noted for framing the European Convention on Human Rights in 1950 for which it empanelled the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). There are now 47 CoE Member States; Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Vatican left out.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), support group for public broadcasters, “applauded” the tribute.“Well functioning PSM (public service media) can be decisive in the protection of human rights, particularly freedom of expression,” said EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre in a statement (See EBU presser here). “The EBU is steadfastly committed to supporting its Members in fostering an informed society where all voices are heard, and we will continue to pursue action to strengthen PSM management structures and cultivate quality journalism.”

Certainly the CoE has Hungary on its collective mind. Its public broadcasting outlets have effectively returned to the State media formulation of old. And perhaps there’s an eye on Portugal, where the government is making motions toward privatizing or simply closing the public broadcaster.

See also in ftm Knowledge

Public Broadcasting - Arguments, Battles and Changes

Public broadcasters have - mostly - thrown off the musty stain of State broadcasting. And audiences for public channels are growing. But arguments and battles with politicians, publishers and commercial broadcasters threatens more changes. The ftm Knowledge file examines all sides. 64 pages PDF (January 2010)

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