PublicTrustinthe Media:WhyisitDeclining?

AnOverviewbyWilliamHorsley

ReportfortheAssociationofEuropeanJournalists

Linz, November2008

TheAssociationofEuropeanJournalists,avoluntaryandindependentassociationofmediaprofessionals,understandsclearlythenecessityoffreeandindependentmediainordertomaintainthepoliticalhealthandopennessofthesocietiesinwhichweliveandwork.NotallthecountrieswithAEJ sectionsaremembersoftheEuropeanUnion.Butallofthem,asmembersoftheCouncilofEurope,haveenteredintofirmcommitmentstotheruleoflawandcivilandmediarights.WebelievethatthecurrentdeepmalaiseafflictingtheEuropeanpressreflectsadeepmalaiseinthepoliticallifeofEuropeasawhole.

ThetwoSurveysofMediaFreedomacrossEuropepublishedbytheAEJinthepastyearfounddisturbingevidencethatfreedomandindependenceofthemediaareunderassaultandinretreatacrossmuchofEurope – includingmanycasesofviolenceagainstjournalists,censorshipandself-censorship,oppressivelaws,harassmentandprosecutionofjournalists, andunduepoliticalandcommercialpressures.

Urgentandcoordinatedactionisneeded,andwewelcomethechancetocontributethroughthemechanismsoftheCouncilofEuropetonewwaysofmeasuring,identifyingandcorrectingseriousviolationsofbasicmediafreedomsineverypartofEurope.

OurpreviousSurveysalsouncoveredveryseriousfailingsinthebehaviourofthemediathemselves,includingahostofconcreteexamplesofdecliningprofessionalstandards,obviouspoliticalbias,sensationalism,libelous,luridandtastelesscoverage,andunjustifiedintrusionsintopeople's privacy.

Sojournalistshavetoputtheirhandsup – editors,reporters,producersandall.Mediastandards,ourevidenceshows,arealsounderassault,andthereisevidencethattheytoohavedeclined.

Wearenowseekingtoexaminetheunderlyingcausesforthisdecline,usingthefirst-handevidenceofreportssentinbyAEJmembersinmorethanhalfournational sections.

Violence in Yerevan

Butthatanalysisandself-criticismcanonly make sensewhenwehavecomprehendedthecripplingeffectinsomeEuropeanstatesofopenviolenceandintimidationofjournalists – theeffectofwhichistomaketrulyindependentandfearlessjournalismimpossible.InthepastfewdayswehavelearnedofaviciousassaultcarriedoutagainstanAEJmemberinArmenia,whosufferedseriousheadinjurieswhenhewashitbyastoneandbeatenupbyunknownassailantsoutsidehishomeinYerevan.

OurlatestAEJreportonArmenia,focusingontheissueofpublictrust,detailstheshockingnumberofviolentassaultsonjournalists. Manyhavebeenthevictimsofdeliberateattacks,clearlymotivatedbyadesiretostopthemfromcontinuingtheirreportingwork. This year the number has reached a new peak, with at least seven open cases where no assailant has been identified, let aloneprosecuted.Anyfailureto bring these cases to justice will grant impunity to those who are intent ondamagingordestroyingthecountry'sremainingindependentmedia.

Publictrustisnotpossiblewhenthefreemediaaresuppressedinsuchways.AsournewArmenianreportsays,thedeepeningpolarisationofpoliticsandthedirectuseofthemediaasapartisanbattlegroundbyrivalpoliticalforceshasledinexorablytodeepeningpublicmistrustoftheauthorisedmediatoo.

Asaconsequence,themediasourcethatArmenianssaytheytrustmostisnotanyoftheirownnationalmedia,buttheAmericanradiostationRadioLiberty.

Disaffection in France

Meanwhilethesurvivalofmanyestablishedmediaconcernsisthreatened,evenintherichercountriesofEurope,bythedramaticfailureoftheoldbusinessmodelswhichhadlonglookedsecure.France's PresidentNicolasSarkozystressedthescaleofthecrisistothepressandthebodypoliticwhenhesaid"Democracycannotfunctionwithapresspermanentlyontheedgeofaneconomicprecipice."

Frenchjournalistunionshaveprotestedsharplyagainstwhatisallegedtobecreepingpoliticalcontrolofthecommandingheightsofthecountry's media,casesofcensorshiporderedbyeditorsfriendlytothenewpresident,andattacksbyjudgesontheestablishedrightofjournaliststokeepsecrettheirconfidentialsourcesforreportsthatmaycause embarrassmenttopublicfigures.

Whateverthereason,theFrenchpublichaveshowntheirlackofconfidenceintheirleadingnationalnewspapersbycuttingsubscriptions.

ThemostdamningevidenceoftheFrenchpublic's disaffectionwiththeirownnationalmediaisthefindingfromonerecentopinionpollthat57%ofFrenchpeopledonotregardthepressasindependentofoneorotherofthepoliticalparties.

Accuracy,qualityandobjectivityarethethreepillarsonwhichpublictrustinthemediahastobebuiltifitistoexistandtoflourish.Theeffectofthewidespreadfailuretodosoisobviousfromtheresultsofopinionsurveys.

The most completeof these istheEurobarometerpollcoveringall27EUcountries,publishedinJuly2008. ThekeyfigureinthatpollistheonefortheoveralllevelofpublictrustinthewrittenpressacrosstheEU– itstandsatjust44%.

ThefiguresforpopulartrustinradioandTVassourcesofinformationaresomewhathigher – 53%and61%respectively.Buteachofthesefiguresisalotlowerthanitwasjusttenyearsago.Trustinthemediaisebbingaway.

Whathasgonewrong?Andwhatremediescantherebe?

AEJ evidence

TheevidencefromtheAEJ'slatestsurveyoftrendsinpublictrustandattitudessuggeststhattheEuropeanmediaarewidelyjudgedtobeguiltyoftwodifferentsins.Thefirstistrivialisation,oralackofseriousness,includinganuncriticalobsessionwithcelebritywhichcouldalsobecalledmisuse(orabuse)ofmediafreedom.

Thesecondissystematicpoliticalbiasorlackofbalance,whichcanbedescribedeitherasasurrenderofproperindependence,orasacurtailmentofthatindependence,dependingon whetherthebiasisseenasvoluntaryorforced.

InadvanceoftheAEJ'sannualCongressinLinz,Austria,inlateNovember,wereceivedoriginalreportsfromourjournalistmembersinninecountries:Armenia,Croatia,theCzechRepublic,Hungary,Ireland,Moldova,theNetherlands,Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey.Colleaguesinothersectionsalsocontributedhelpfulcommentsandstatistics,andIhaveusedBritainasanexampleofsomemajorpan-Europeantrendsinthisreport.

Britain

Britainisaprimeexampleofacountrywherethemainbroadcastingchannels,bothBBCandcommercial,havesufferedasharpdeclineinpublictrustbecauseofmultiple,highly-publicisedcasesofvulgarorsensationalistmaterialbeingaired,orofclearlyunprofessionaleditorialstandardsinprogramming,includingriggedTVcompetitionsandabuseofpublictrustinthewayaudienceswerechargedfortakingpartinpopularphone-inprogrammes.

TheBBCcameinforbitingpresscriticismandreceivedmore than30,000publiccomplaintsafteraradioprogrammewasairedinwhich"celebrity"presenterJonathanRossandprogrammehostRussell Brand werehearddictatingaseriesofobsceneandoffensivemessagesontothetelephoneanswerphoneofthefamousactorwhoplayedthepartofManuelintheclassiccomedyseries,"FawltyTowers" (Andrew Sachs).AlthoughtheBBCeventuallysuspendedRossforthreemonthsandtheradiopresenterresignedfromhisjobalongwithaseniorradioexecutive,theBBCwaswidelyjudgedtobeguiltyofapprovingasystematic"dumbing-down"ofitsownprogrammesinamisguidedattempttoattractyoungeraudiences.

One British tabloid newspaper was successfully sued by the McCann family over wild and irresponsible allegations relating to the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine in Portugal – a story that brought out many shocking examples of sensationalist and invasive journalism, especially in Britain. Eurobarometer's poll found that the level of public respect for press reporters in Britain is the lowest recorded in any part of the EU – only 19%.

A European perspective

MoreevidenceofpublicdisapprovalconcerningEurope'smediaingeneraliscontainedinapollpublishedinearly2008byComres.Itpolledarangeofpeopleworkinginpublicaffairs,andfoundthat73%ofrespondentsbelievedthatjournalistsregularlysensationaliseissuesratherthanreportingthemfortheirinherentworth.Asmanyas22%alsosaidtheytrustedjournalists"notatall".

Examplesofjournalistsandeditorsforsakingeditorialindependence,eitherunderpressureorforsomeperceivedbenefit,aretobefoundinalmosteverycornerofEuropeinthenowwidespreadcustomofpublicbroadcastingsystemsbeingdistortedbymoreorlessovertpoliticalinterferenceorcontrol.

InItaly,wherealliesoftheprimeministerSilvioBerlusconicontrolthegreatmajorityofTVchannels,directlyorindirectly,publictrustintelevisionhassunktoonly35%,accordingtoEurobarometer'sfigures.Strikingly,inPoland,whereAEJreportshavedetailedthecorruptionofthesupposedlyimpartialpublicbroadcastingservicebypartypoliticalinterests,publictrustinTVremainshighat82%.IntheCzechRepublic,itissuggestedthattheratherhighlevelofpublictrustaccordedtothewrittenpress(56%)andtoradiojournalistsasasourceofinformation(73%)reflectthepublic'sextremedistrustofthenation'spoliticalclass.

InSpain,theAEJreportdescribesacorrosiveseriesofassaultsbythemainpoliticalpartiesontheintegrityofjournalistsworkingformainstreamnewspapersandbroadcastingstations.Ministerialandotherpublicsectoradvertisingbudgetshavebeencynicallyusedtopunishorrewardmediaaccordingtohowfavourableorotherwisetheircoverageisjudgedtobe.Andinsomecasespoliticalpartieshavesoughttoberidoftheinconvenienceofjournalistsaskingquestionsbybarringthemfromdoingsoevenatset-piecepressevents,anddistributingtheirownvideomaterialaboutpartymeetingsandannouncements,withouteveninvitingthemediatoattendeventsinpersoninthenormalway.

InHungary,too,theAEJreportjudgesthatthemediahavesharplylosttheesteemofthepublicsincetheheydayoftheoverthrowofSovietcommunismbyfailingtoactimpartiallyinthedrasticallypolarisedworldofHungarianpoliticsinrecentyears.

Theharshconclusionofanindependent2003reportintheUKongovernmentcommunicationswasthata"three-waybreakdownoftrust"hadtakenplacebetweengovernmentandpoliticians,themediaandthegeneralpublic.ThePhillisReportaddedthatthisbreakdownhadledto"increasingdisillusionmentamongstpartsofsociety",particularlytheyoungandsomeethnicgroups.

Thatverdictcould,accordingtoourevidence,bejustlyappliedtomuchofEurope.

Thereisacloselinkbetweenthemisuseoffreedombythemediaandthelossofpublictrustinthemedia.Theonlyremedyisforjournaliststoliveuptohighstandardsofaccuracy,qualityandobjectivity.

Thatrequirescourageousandpersistentjournalismtoholdgovernmentsandthepowerfultoaccount.Itrequiresajustandeffectivesystemoflawsandregulationsappliedtothemedia,backedbyawatchfulandinformedpublic.Anditrequiresanew,morerigorouscommitmentbymediaorganisationsandeditorialteamstostampoutthemindlesssensationalism,thepartisanbiasandprejudice,andthesheerbadjournalismthathasledtothecurrentcrisisofpublicconfidenceintheprofession.

WilliamHorsley

AEJ Media Freedom Representative

Chairman,AssociationofEuropeanJournalistsUK

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