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Week ending January 20, 2007

SOCIALISTS OUTRAGED AT MURDER OF JOURNALIST – January 19, 2007

from Tony Robinson/ Socialist Group of the European Parliament

Leading members of the European Parliament today voiced outrage at the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, 52, outside his Agos newspaper office in Istanbul.

Socialist Group vice-president Jan Marinus Wiersma said: "The assassination of this journalist is an attack on the free media in Turkey. We are outraged by the cold-blooded way in which Mr. Dink was gunned down.

"We offer our sympathy to Mr. Dink’s family and colleagues. We urge journalists in Turkey to maintain their courage and to show that they reject such attempts at intimidation.

"We welcome the commitment of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to catch those responsible and bring them to justice."

WAN - Freedom of Expression Under Siege in Tunisia – January 19, 2007

from Larry Kilman/WAN

More than one year after it hosted the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the government of Tunisia has failed to address human rights and freedom of expression concerns, the Tunisia Monitoring Group of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange said today.

The 16 members of the Monitoring Group, which includes the World Association of Newspapers, appealed to incoming United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to remind the government of Tunisia of its international obligations. The government continues to harass writers, journalists and human rights defenders.

When Tunisia hosted the WSIS in late 2005, Kofi Annan, then Secretary-General of the UN, said the event offered "a good opportunity for the government of Tunisia to address various human rights concerns, including those related to freedom of opinion and expression."

“Sadly, the state of freedom of expression in Tunisia is as poor, if not poorer, in early 2007 as it was in late 2005 when the WSIS was held in Tunis,” said Carl Morten Iversen, Secretary General of Norwegian PEN, and Chair of the Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG).

Members of the TMG are calling on the Tunisian government to bring an immediate end to the persecution of writers, journalists, and human rights defenders, including Sihem Bensedrine, Naziha Rjiba, Moncef Marzouki, Lotfi Hajji and Abdallah Zouari. They are also calling for the immediate and unconditional release of internet writer and lawyer Mohammed Abbou, who is serving a three-and-a-half year prison sentence for criticizing Tunisian President Ben Ali in an article posted on the Internet.

“To respect its international commitments, the Tunisian government should also release all banned books and publications, should stop censoring books, and should put and end to the blocking of websites,” said Ana Maria Cabanellas, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA).

TMG members also highlighted concerns about the Tunisian government’s censorship of deadly clashes by security forces and armed groups against civilian demonstrators in the end of December 2006 and in early January 2007 in the Southern suburbs of Tunis.

VLV FEARS ADVERSE IMPACT ON QUALITY PROGRAMMES AND IS SCEPTICAL ABOUT ADEQUACY OF BBC LICENCE FEE SETTLEMENT – January 18, 2007

from Linda Forbes/VLV

Voice of the Listener & Viewer (VLV) fears today’s BBC license fee settlement, probably to fall below the level of inflation, will not enable the BBC to maintain the quality of its programmes and services.

Jocelyn Hay, VLV’s Chairman said:

"Whilst we did not favor an over-generous settlement we believe the BBC should have been adequately funded to do the job that fee-fee payers expect of it as set out in the new Charter and Agreement. The BBC’s absolute priority must be the delivery of high quality programmes, content and services, fewer repeats and fewer cheap copycat programmes. This must not be compromised for any reason.

Research during the public consultations showed that the majority of license fee payers were prepared to pay a modestly higher fee in order to get high quality programmes and services from the BBC. VLV is very disappointed that the views of license fee payers have been ignored. The BBC’s audiences will suffer, as will the national interest, if the BBC is now forced to reduce the range and quality of its programmes and services.

The costs involved in delivering digital switchover and targeted assistance have been estimated at some £800 million (£600 million for helping vulnerable viewers to obtain the necessary receiving equipment and £200 million for a publicity campaign). It is absolutely essential that they are clearly and transparently accounted for.

It is understood that in allowing the BBC only a limited increase in the amount it will be able to borrow as working capital, the Treasury noted that the BBC did not use its borrowing facility to the full last year. However, at the end of a cycle bankers always want to see borrowing repaid, not fully used. The eventual cost to the BBC, at the expense of other things, will therefore increase, especially at a time of rising interest rates. Will there be enough, by one means or another, to deliver the move to Salford and Digital switchover?"

The Secretary of State said in the House of Commons today "the BBC belongs to and is paid for by the people". She also said the settlement would deliver funding "either above or in line with inflation according to Bank of England forecasts". If the intention was to fund the BBC in line with inflation what justification can there be for breaking the well-established link between the license fee and RPI.

BLM - „Verantwortungskultur“ statt Stammtischdiskussionen – January 18, 2007

from Bettina Pregel/BLM

BLM und JFF präsentieren Studie „Neue Wege durch die konvergente Medienwelt“

die Forschung investiert und die „Verantwortungskultur“ von Inhalte-Anbie tern gestärkt werden, lautete das Fazit einer Expertenrunde, die gestern in der BLM über die Ergebnisse der Studie „Neue Wege durch die konvergente Medienwelt“ diskutierte (als Bd. 85 der BLM-Schriftenreihe erschienen).

Im Auftrag der Bayerischen Landeszentrale für neue Medien (BLM) hat das JFF – Institut für Medienpädagogik in Forschung und Praxis die konver genzbezogene Mediennutzung von 11- bis 17-Jährigen untersucht. Dabei wurden insbesondere mediale Kultwelten wie „Star Wars“ oder auch „Gute Zeiten, schlechte Zeiten“ unter die Lupe genommen, die über verschiedene Mediengattungen hinweg (Fern sehen, Internet und Computerspiel) den Dreh- und Angelpunkt der Mediennutzung Jugend licher bilden: Sie suchen und finden Vergnügen, Information, Kommunika tion und Inter aktion in der immer komplexer werdenden Medienwelt.

Zugang zur vernetzten Medienwelt haben mittlerweile fast alle, es gibt allerdings ent schei dende Unterschiede in der Art der Nutzung. So sehen z.B. insbesondere Heran wachsende mit niedrigem Bildungshintergrund die Medien eher als Konsum raum an: Am Computer spielen, fernsehen oder Filme sehen, steht für sie im Vorder grund. Heranwachsende mit hohem Bildungshintergrund dagegen nutzen die Medien auch als Gestaltungsraum: Sie holen sich im Internet neues Material zu einem Interessengebiet, beziehen in Internetforen Stellung zu einem Thema oder produzieren eigene Filme am PC. Damit drücken sie ihre Zugehörigkeit zu einer jugendkulturellen Szene aus. Das sind nur einige der Ergebnisse, die Prof. Dr. Helga Theunert und Ulrike Wagner vom JFF vorstellten (im Internet abzurufen unter www.blm.de und www.jff.de).

Angesichts der Erkenntnisse aus der Studie hielten es die Wissenschaftler und Regulierungsvertreter auf dem Podium für wenig zielführend, in der öffentlichen Debatte nur nach mehr Verboten zu rufen. Stattdessen sollten fördernde Maßnah men ergriffen werden, die auch die Chance der Medienvernetzung nutzen, nämlich kreative Vielfalt zu unterstützen. „Stammtischdiskussionen helfen uns nicht weiter“, betonte BLM-Präsident Prof. Dr. Wolf-Dieter Ring mit Blick auf die Verbots-Debatte. Einen rechtsfreien Raum ohne jegliche Aufsicht dürfe man aber genauso wenig akzeptieren. Darin war er sich mit den anderen Experten einig. Einen erhöhten Forschungsbedarf stellte Ring hinsichtlich des Phänomens der konvergenten Medienaneignung fest. Dieses Phänomen sei bisher weder in der Pädagogik noch in der Medienforschung ein zentrales Thema.

„Die Zeit läuft uns davon“, kritisierte Jutta Croll, Geschäftsführerin der Stiftung Digitale Chancen, die forderte, im Hinblick auf die sinnvolle Nutzung des Potenzials von Spielen und Internet. Hier seien insbesondere Erziehungsver antwortliche wie Jugendleiter oder Lehrer gefragt, die aber so gut wie gar nicht in medienpädago gischer Hinsicht ausgebildet wären. Es gebe zwar einen Bedarf, aber keine aus reichende Infrastruktur für die Ausbildung in medienpädagogischen Fragen, be stätigte der Medienpädagoge Prof. Dr. Bernd Schorb von der Universität Leipzig.

Mit Blick auf die Computerspiel-Debatte wies er noch auf einen weiteren Aspekt hin, der abseits der Bildungsfrage berücksichtigt werden sollte: Wenn Jugendliche mit hohem Bildungsniveau ihre sozialen Bindungen durch mediale Bindungen ersetzen, könne dies auch massive Probleme verursachen. Da Jugendliche ihre Identität zum großen Teil auch aus Medien beziehen würden, könnte man diesen Prozess dazu nutzen, positive Inhalte zu verbreiten. Deshalb plädierte er dafür, die „Verantwor tungskultur“ der Spielehersteller und -entwickler stärker einzufordern. Diesen Begriff hatte vorher Dr. Wolfgang Schulz, Direktor des Hans-Bredow-Instituts, eingebracht. Angesichts der vernetzten Medienwelt, so Schulz, sollte die Regulierung stärker in eine "Verantwortungskultur“ überführt werden.

In diese Verantwortungskultur müsste laut Theunert auch das Bildungssystem ein gebunden werden, um die Bildungsspaltung bei der Mediennutzung zu über winden. Genauso wie Dr. Dagmar Hoffmann von der Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen in Potsdam-Babelsberg mahnte sie eine Beratung von Lehrern und Eltern in puncto verzahnter Medienwelt an.

EUROPE’S PUBLISHERS WELCOME COMMISSION WORKING PAPER ON MEDIA PLURALISM – January 16, 2007

from Heidi Lambert/EPC

The European Publishers Council (EPC) has welcomed the Commission’s Staff Working Paper on Media pluralism published today, 16 January, which clearly states that the EU has no legal competence to intervene in this area. This document will kick start a new phase of consultation including various studies to be commissioned by Mrs. Reding’s DG INFSO.

EPC Executive Director Angela Mills Wade said: “Very importantly, this paper, recognizes that there is no strict correlation between media concentration and pluralism. It reads: " the mere fact that concentration takes place does not automatically indicate that there is a loss in or a lack of media pluralism."

Angela continued: “Media Pluralism arguments can be misused by those who wish to restrict our business activities, Member States included and we are delighted that the Commission has accepted that media specific legislation to regulate media concentration would discriminate disproportionately against traditional media companies such as publishers.

“The European Publishers Council believes that the question of pluralism must be judged and dealt with at the local, i.e. national level against carefully measured public interest objectives and by applying the full rigors of competition policy at both national and European level.

“We would never accept the case for new, European level media concentration legislation and will monitor the next phases of this initiative carefully, particularly in terms of how the Commission intends to develop their new approach of identifying a range of concrete indictors to measure pluralism.”

EPC/ MEPs Urged to Vote For Press Freedom – January 14, 2007

from Heidi Lambert/EPC

As MEPs prepare for next week’s Second Reading Plenary vote on the controversial Rome II regulation (on applicable law to non-contractual obligations), the European Publishers Council (EPC) has co-signed a letter by publishers and journalists’ organizations to express serious concerns relating to the issue of violation of privacy and rights related to the personality, including defamation.

The letter calls for:

· A complete exclusion of violation of privacy and rights related to the personality, including defamation, from the scope of Rome II.

· No specific reference to violation of privacy and rights related to the personality, including defamation, in the review clause.

EPC Executive Director Angela Mills Wade said: “It has been recognized by academics and lawyers that an absence of a rule in the Rome II Regulation does not seem to present difficulties for practitioners. Indeed in practice, media and journalists are quite familiar with their national law, which provides legal certainty for their daily work.

“We have consistently told the European Commission, Council and Parliament that the number of cross-border cases in this area is insignificant. Consequently, the objectives of Article 65 of the EC Treaty concerning judicial cooperation in civil matters having cross-border implications and for the proper functioning of the Internal Market cannot be fulfilled. For these reasons, we question the legal basis of Rome II and the proposed measure on violation of privacy and rights related to the personality.

“In this context, we believe that in the absence of a rule which protects editorial independence, an exclusion of violation of privacy and rights related to the personality, including defamation, is the most realistic and politically viable option, compared to other proposals which could seriously undermine press freedom.”

EP Rapporteur Diana Wallis’ compromise amendment, which brings the privacy and defamation article back into the draft regulation, has already been tested at the First Reading stage but was rejected by the Commission and by numerous Member States at the Common Position stage.

Publishers and Journalists’ organizations are therefore strongly urging MEPs to go for the most politically viable option that affords the press the most protection.

Signatories to the letter:

Valtteri Niiranen – European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA) - Director

Angela Mills Wade – European Publishers’ Council (EPC) - Executive Director

Aidan White - European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) - General Secretary

David Mahon – European Federation of Magazine Publishers (FAEP) - Director

Anne Bergman-Tahon – Federation of European Publishers (FEP)- Director

Alain Chastagnol – Presse-Liberté- Secrétaire Général