JOINT DECLARATION ON MEDIA FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media, the Organization of American States (OAS) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and the African Commission on Human. [...] e) Independent and well-resourced public service media, namely media for the public, and funded and supervised by the public, have a special position in fostering pluralism and diversity and satisfying the public’s right to know, especially through responding to informational needs and interests that the commercial sector does not fulfil. [...] f) Take measures to protect journalists and media outlets from strategic lawsuits against public participation and the misuse of criminal law and the judicial system to attack and silence the media, including by adopting laws and policies that prevent and/or mitigate such cases and provide support to victims. [...] Recommendations for the media sector In order to maintain legitimacy in the eyes of the public and revive public trust in the media as a watchdog and instrument of democracy, media proprietors, editors, and journalists should: a) Through transparent and participatory processes, develop, set, and maintain effective self- regulatory mechanisms to uphold codes of conduct. [...] f) Address internal structural discrimination and bias in the media sector and ensure that their workforces are diverse and include women and representatives of minorities at all levels of media production and distribution including at the management and decision-making level.
- Pages
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- Canada
