Discussion Group 3, Media and Market - the Management of Change:
Discussion Group 3 (DG 3) recognises the CSCE's historical contribution to the process of change in
the countries of the former Warsaw Pact. Making use of the experiences and instruments of cooperation developed during that period the CSCE is now eager to participate in the future process of
democratic development and has created to that end new structures serving the Human Dimension and,
under that heading, the development of media. DG 3 welcomes this engagement.
The presentation of activities and discussion in DG 3 demonstrated that many bodies and institutions,
governmental and intergovernmental, public and private, are actively engaged in projects of East-West
co-operation aimed at strengthening the role of media in the establishment and extension of democracy.
CSCE is urged to take note of ongoing projects, to co-operate with partners already active in the field
and to define more clearly the specific contribution it may be able to add. Co-operation is recommended
especially with UNESCO and the European Institutions, notably the Council of Europe, and, for all
questions related to broadcasting, with the European Broadcasting Union EBU.
The two distinctive features of the CSCE capable of making a special contribution are the participation
of the United States and Canada on one hand and the membership of all former members of the Soviet
Union on the other hand. This membership - smaller than that of UNESCO, larger than that of the
European institutions - may create a new and stimulating forum for discussion and action not available
elsewhere.
Participation in the Warsaw conference showed the need of a better balance of delegates from East and
West. Some Eastern countries were unable to participate, many were only represented by government
institutions. The Conference therefore asks the ODIHR secretariat to analyse why Eastern participation
was limited and through what measures this participation could be extended and diversified in future
meetings. Measures to assist certain CSCE members by paying their travel and subsistence should be
studied. The Group notes the efforts of the US to finance participation for a number of Eastern
journalists and invites other governments and institutions to join in a co-ordinated effort to make more
voices from the East heard at future conferences.
Since the presentation of western views and experiences can take place on many other occasions, DG 3
received with special attention the reports and questions from representatives of the new democracies. A
colleague from Uzbekistan reminded us of the fact that freedom of the press is dependent on many
factors: the existence of a trained journalist, having a (heated) room to work, a typewriter or computer
terminal, printing paper, and, hopefully, an adequate salary. In his country, he said, the existence of
many newspapers is threatened and journalists committed to the freedom of information may risk their
lives. Another colleague from Estonia admonished the western colleagues not to adopt the teacher-pupil
or father-son attitude when working in and for Eastern countries.
From these and other testimonies the group concluded that there was need for help - not always
exclusively financial but that this help should not take the character of spoon-feeding. Paternalism is
unwelcome, especially when disguised as market freedom. "We have not liberated us from internal
dictatorship of programming to subject ourselves now to a new dictatorship of programming from
abroad" stated a Romanian delegate. The aim of programme assistance must be the strengthening of
national and local production and programming.
A free market in itself is not capable of satisfying all needs of a free and democratic society. While the
commercial option can provide important elements of free media and free information, other methods of
financing media must be analysed and used. The Western European model of public broadcasting systems was quoted as highly qualified to foster democracy. Doubts were, however, raised, whether the
state machinery’s of the East could be transformed into genuine public service systems independent
from their governments.
The group noted that for a long time to come media in many countries of the East could not survive
CSCE ODIHR BULLETIN Vol. 2, No. 1
34
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