South East Europe Media Recommendation  by SEEMO    

The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI),  agreed on the following recommendation for media in South East Europe: 

Preamble

A free and open media is essential to every society and acts as the guarantor of democracy, civil society and the rights upheld in customary international law.

Furthermore, the best means of safeguarding a free and open media is to strengthen editorial independence by allowing editors, journalists and other media professionals to work free of all forms of harassment and intimidation that undermine their right to seek, receive, impart, publish and distribute information and ideas.

In particular, SEEMO  affirms that:

1. Economics and the Media

• The most open and democratic societies are those that apply the least possible restrictions and regulations on the media and which encourage free competition, private ownership, as well as public service media;

• Self-regulation is preferable to state regulation, with the exception of where questions of public ownership arise. All regulatory bodies shall be independent and held at arm's length from the government;

• Governments shall divest themselves of all state-owned media, including but not limited to broadcasting, and create in their place genuine public service media.    This also means, that print media should not be in state or part-state ownership.

• Licences for radio and television shall be granted after open and transparent competition with clear criteria;

• The issue of media concentration and cross-ownership of media is a complex issue and globally there are different approaches that may each have their own individual benefits. Potential solutions should not rest solely on the size of the media environment or the number of media organisations, nor is it always true that media concentration has a detrimental impact on editorial values and the standards of journalism;

• Government shall apply Value Added Tax (VAT) to print media, especially those governing countries aspiring to become EU members, at a reduced rate, or even at a zero-point rate.

• Private news agencies shall be allowed to compete on level terms with similar government owned media. In the short-and-mid-term, governments should commit to divesting themselves of state news agencies; and

• Equality between women and men is essential and there should be renewed efforts to end all forms of discrimination in all media workplaces;  

2. Politics and the Media

• There shall be no direct or indirect censorship of the press by governments, or related bodies;

• Media shall have a right in law to protect their confidential sources. However, journalists who offer protection to their sources should respect this right even in the face of legal proceedings;

• Governments shall create freedom of information acts that provide information to the media and the public in accordance with international standards. Central and local governments shall make available information that is in the public interest and do so within reasonable time limits;

• Politicians shall recognise that, in accordance with Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and legal precedents set by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), politicians must accept a greater degree of criticism and be held to higher standards than those of ordinary citizens;

• Governments shall carry out full, open and transparent investigations into cases of attacked and killed journalists, and end impunity by bringing to trial the perpetrators of these attacks; 

• SEEMO asks governments, if there are visa for citizens of one country,  to issue free of charge multiple-entry visas for journalists. It is essential that every journalist, can receive a visa in a timely and unbureaucratic manner and without the undue burden of producing a variety of documents;

• Regarding official secrets, governments shall create by law a defence of "acting in the public interest" regarding the disclosure of such information;

• Media shall have full and open access to elections and electoral candidates; and

• Government advertising shall be awarded to media organisations by an independent body, held at arm's length from the government. 

3. Media Freedom and Responsibility

• All media shall be committed to fair, balanced and accurate journalism;   

• Professional training for journalists shall be the sole responsibility of editors and journalists; Where possible media companies should offer free professional courses to journalists, editors, managers and other staff members;

• The media shall create their own codes of practice fair, balanced and accurate reporting, rectification of inaccurate information, and fostering a clear distinction between news reporting and comment, among others;

• The media shall develop their own independent and voluntary Media Accountability Systems to regulate themselves;

• Journalists and media organisations shall respect an individual's right of privacy in accordance with international standards and legal precedent except where there is an overriding matter of public interest outweighing such considerations;

• It should be the responsibility of every media organisation (company) and journalists to check their information.

• Governments, and civil society should accept that press freedom exists not only for agreed speech, but also for speech considered offensive or shocking, provided that such speech falls within international standards and legal precedent;    

• News reporting is the sole responsibility of the media, but it should follow recognised codes of practice laid down by the profession, especially on contentious issues likely to cause hatred, racism or incite violence. In the modern media environment, editors should have particular regard to "global horizons" and give consideration to the likely impact of their work not just in their locality, but also around the world;

• Notwithstanding the importance of editorial independence, editors and owners shall have the responsibility for informing their readers about the editorial principles and guidelines of their newspaper; 

• All minorities have a right to their own identity and culture and news reporting shall not discriminate against such groups.

• Publicly-owned broadcasters shall provide fair, balanced and accurate coverage of elections, while private broadcasters shall provide such coverage in accordance with their own editorial values and the agreed principles of independent regulatory bodies.

• Media organisations shall clearly distinguish between news reporting, on the one hand, and advertising, sponsorship or promotion, on the other; and

• News shall appear in media based on the free exercise of sound editorial values and not by virtue of cash payments or any other form of inducements, including gifts above a certain amount. Media organisations shall determine this amount in accordance with the relevant codes of practice on this issue.