Ammu Joseph
attended the Salzburg Seminar Session 396 on Influence, Values and Professional
Responsibility in the News Media (March 2002). She has sent the statement
below, which emerged from the meeting.
In Defence Of Journalism As A Public
Trust
Salzburg,Austria
March 26, 2002
I.
PREAMBLE
This statement expresses the concerns of
international journalists and supporters of journalism attending the Salzburg
Seminar Session 396, March 20-27, 2002, in Salzburg, Austria. The topic: The
decline of the news media¿s role as a public trust and the effects of that
phenomenon on its obligations to civil society. Our discussions revealed that
journalists and their supporters from many countries share a strong conviction
that market pressures are undermining the quality of journalism; specifically,
as news organizations preserve high profit levels by reducing newsgathering
resources and neglecting journalism in the public interest, the fundamental
role of the press to inform and empower citizens is endangered.
These concerns are the motivation for this statement,
which we hope will prompt further consideration, discussion and action around
the world.
A free and independent press is essential to human
liberty. No people can remain sovereign without a vigorous press that reports
the news, examines critical issues and encourages a robust exchange of ideas.
In recognition of the vital role of the press in society, many countries extend
it special legal protections under constitutions or legislatively-enacted
statutes. These protections are unique, for they safeguard print, broadcast and
online media organizations against government interference and censorship.
Where this special status has been accorded the
press, news organizations have been held to a high standard of public service
and public trust. Over time, this ideal has become a bedrock of journalism, an
enduring tradition by which a free press has been a powerful force for progress
and informed citizen participation in society.
Historically, threats to press freedoms have been
political in nature. At the start of the 21st Century, however, a new kind of
threat emerges that, if continued, will endanger the freedoms guaranteed to the
press and put at risk the sovereignty of the citizens.
The nature of the press as a commercial enterprise
has changed significantly. The emergence of media conglomerates and intense
market competition are creating new organizational priorities in which profit
growth is replacing public service as the principal mission. Sustaining profit
growth often requires reducing the resources for news gathering, thereby
diminishing the role of the news media as a public trust.
Business priorities are encouraging the blending of news and entertainment as a strategy to build audiences and ratings. This trend, most noticeable worldwide in television, has led to a reduction in serious news coverage and may be responsible for a decline of public confidence in this medium as an essential source of information.