"The Global Handbook of Media Accountability brings together leading scholars to 'de-Westernize' the academic debate on media accountability and discuss different models of media self-regulation and newsroom transparency around the globe. With examination of the status quo of media accountability in
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forty-four countries worldwide, it offers a theoretically informed, comparative analysis of accountability regimes of different varieties. As such, it constitutes the first interdisciplinary academic framework comparing structures of media accountability across all continents and represents an invaluable basis for further research and policy-making. It will therefore appeal to scholars and students of media studies and journalism, mass communication, sociology and political science, as well as policy-makers and practitioners." (Publisher description)
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"Efficient self-regulation in the media sector is an important condition for ethical standards in news coverage and can prevent extensive regulation by state authorities. As such, it plays an important role for the trust of citizens in media and for the freedom of the press. Experts gathered by the
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Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Article 10 ECHR Task Force in Belgrade in October 2013 give the following ten key recommendations." (Page 1)
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"On the one hand, there is the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe (VMCZ), a self-regulatory structure favoured by the privately owned media players. On the other hand, there is the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) formed under statutory law and whose structure is still not adequate to resolve cases
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brought before it. VMCZ and ZMC are contesting for legitimacy and in various ways they present dialectical positions on the debate on self-regulation. One media house, Alpha Media Holdings, has formed its own Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system that uses the ombudsman. This article uses press reports and interviews of key people in the media and the ADRs in order to ascertain the effectiveness and problems of the evolving processes, making comparisons with the United Kingdom and South African scenarios where similar debates on Press Councils are topical, especially after the publication of the report on the Leveson Enquiry." (Abstract)
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"The paper looks at how journalists and press councils in two very different media systems in the same region – Indonesia and Malaysia – have addressed the question of journalism ethics in the face of a changing media environment. The Indonesian Press Council, set up within the move to democracy
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in Indonesia, which – although a statutory council – works independently of government has recently been dealing with complaints from the public as well as criticisms from politicians about ethics on the Internet. Some internet coverage is being perceived as harmful and journalists and the press council find themselves having to strike a balance between concerns expressed and issues of free expression. In Malaysia, several internet-only based news-sites have been at the forefront of pushing restrictions on press freedom in the country. At the same time, there is concern expressed about excesses on the Internet. The paper compares these two on-going developments. It includes interviews with journalists from both countries. It will draw conclusions on what type of self-regulatory structure is best placed to deal with new media ethics in new or emerging democracies in South-East Asia while also addressing problems of transferring structures from one media systems to another." (Abstract)
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"The chapters that follow provide an important insight into the evolution, current status and challenges to the effective implementation of media self-regulation systems in South East Europe and Turkey. Obstacles identified, which are likely to resonate in transitional democracies and other settings
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around the world, include insufficient tradition in the implementation of media self-regulation, low public trust in the media sector, political and economic pressures faced by media outlets and the important ties existing between politics, businesses and the media. The experiences recounted also underscore the essential need to bring all stakeholders on board in the effort to promote self-regulatory mechanisms, and to create awareness about the relevance of selfregulatory mechanisms among the general public - a task which is made difficult in the light of a prevailing lack of trust and consensus within the media sector itself. The publication sheds light on critical emerging issues for media accountability today. Confronting old dilemmas, journalists must abide by high ethical and professional standards in an environment that is revolutionized by the impact of new technologies. Contributing authors consider how media self-regulation fits into this new and ever-evolving picture, describing the impact of technological developments on media business models and traditional journalistic practices in South East Europe and Turkey, and the consequences that this bears for ethical and professional standards. Guaranteeing the application of such standards in online content is highlighted as a central challenge, with privacy protection, hate speech, gossip, unfounded accusations and criticism being issues flagged in some of the countries analysed. On a similar note, the multiplicity of actors producing and disseminating information, new methods of production and dissemination, and the increased speed of delivery has meant that editorial supervision is increasingly challenging." (Foreword, page 12)
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"What emerges from the discussion of the Southern African media councils is a picture of relatively new institutions, struggling to find their place in a changing, difficult media and political terrain. They share many common challenges, as they contend with hostile governments, poor journalistic pr
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actices and a lack of resources. And yet there are significant differences between them. The strongest councils are undoubtedly those of Tanzania and South Africa. The Media Council of Tanzania (MCT) is far and away the biggest, with a large number of staff involved in a wide range of projects. Besides adjudicating complaints against the media, it is actively involved in lobbying on media freedom issues, even having drafted alternative laws to put to government. It has a substantial publication programme, has developed regional Press Clubs and offered training. Its ethics committee seems to be well established and generally respected, as indicated by the fact that several very prominent people have used it. Respect among the media is high: although there have been some cases of rulings being ignored, these are exceptions. The media provide the council’s core funding, while an extensive additional programme of activities is funded by donors. In general, the MCT is an excellent example of how a body of this kind can work. The South African council is by far the busiest, even though it has a much smaller staff. It has chose to concentrate almost entirely on the adjudication function. Only recently has it added the defence of media freedoms to its aims, but it is still developing a sense of what this might mean in concrete terms. One of the factors restraining the council from leaping too quickly into this arena is the fact that South Africa has several other media groups, which are already active in the area. Sensibly, there is little appetite on the council for duplicating work that the SA National Editors Forum (Sanef), the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI), Misa and others are already doing." (Conclusion)
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"1. The media development community should work within individual media houses to create in-house, publicly reported complaint systems rather than relying solely on outside press councils to do the job. 2. Funding groups should encourage media criticism, in forms such as local journalism reviews. 3.
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Press councils and ombudsmen should be adequately funded from a variety of sources (NGOs, media organizations, international donors) while safe-guarding their independence. 4. In the establishment of a press council, there must be an effective mechanism to avoid, or greatly reduce, the possibility that complainants will take advantage of defamation laws and take their issues to court rather than to the council. 5. To be effective, press councils and ombudsmen should focus on journalistic standards: ethical behavior (such as not accepting payment for stories), fairness, balance, and using appropriate and varied sources for information." (Summary of recommendations, page 7)
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"Composed of questions and answers, this guidebook is practical and easy to use. There is no ‘one-fits-all’ model that can be readily adopted anywhere. Therefore, the publication does not focus on specific countries, but rather on a wide range of practical concerns. How do the existing self-regu
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latory mechanisms work? What challenges do they face? How to establish or enhance them? Each chapter highlights particular aspects of media self-regulation, including the role of codes of ethics and various accountability mechanisms, such as ombudspersons or press councils. The readers, I hope, will find solutions that they can tailor to their countries’ conditions." (Foreword, page 7-8)
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"In this study the author presents self-regulation as a part of a wider subject, that is, freedom of speech, arguing that self-regulation does not intrude on this freedom beyond the limits set by democracy, and that, compared to legislative solution, it is a much more friendly way of implementing th
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e principle that one person's freedom is limited by another person's freedom. What is important is that the media are aware of the power they enjoy. The author gives several examples that illustrate where abuse of that unruly power can lead and argues that it is much better if media themselves hold it at bay and thus avert state's interference with an intention of compelling them to do so. The book recapitulates various views on media accountability and mechanisms reinforcing it, already widely discussed in public. It also looks into the current state of affairs in Slovenia despite the risk that time and further developments in this field may soon cancel out present conclusions. The frame of debate on the establishment of a press council in Slovenia could serve as a useful example for others. The existing Ethics Commission in Slovenia, whose past performance could have paved the way for an elaborate form of self-regulation, unfortunately proved to be an obstacle. The idea about a tripartite press council arose in some a feeling that a press council would be set against the ethics commission itself, even though, to the contrary, it could primarily advance the present work of this commission. The study therefore does not argue that existing ethics commission is needless, but rather points to the ideas about co-regulation that have recently emerged in the EU. They could lead to the shifting of the center, meaning that voluntary self-regulation, which advances media accountability and through it also professional conduct, could be taken away from the media and placed in the hands of users. The protection of professional standards would thus be transformed into the protection of consumer rights." (Summary, page 7)
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"With information from governments, media councils, journalists and broadcasts, Jones has compiled a succinct study of codes generally and of a few specifically. His aim is "to bring together some of the background information and to advance some of the arguments needed to help media people and othe
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rs concerned to make up their own minas in accordance with their own needs and circumstances." In a "World Survey" he has chosen 49 countries for an analysis of their codes and the conditions underlying them, and in an appendix has given the codes for Australia, Canada, Egypt, India, Japan, Sweden, Great Britain, and the U.S.A., along with organizational codes for the International Federation of Journalists, the European Community, the International Organization of Journalists, and the UN and UNESCO. There is also a section on "Mass Media Councils in Third World Countries." This is excellent source material for any individuals or countries interested either in devising or revising journalistic codes of ethics." (Eleanor Blum, Frances G. Wilhoit: Mass media bibliography. 3rd ed. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990 Nr. 221)
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"Un conseil de la presse a été installé à Accra le 11 janvier 1968 — Sa création a fait naître des soupçons dans les milieux journalistiques — Le gouvernement se défend de toute idée de censure, affirmant que les statuts du conseil sont rédigés sur le modèle de ceux du « British Pre
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ss Council »." (Jean-Marie Van Bol, Abdelfattah Fakhfakh: The use of mass media in the developing countries. Brussels: CIDESA, 1971 Nr. 1709, topic code 161.3)
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