The facts of pervasive world-wide governmental and commercial control of the media reduces the capacity of ordinary women and men to control decisions about their lives and about the socialization of their children. The Peoples Communication Charter  offers a set of principles for the building of an alternative media. This version of the Charter was adopted in March 1996. 

Preamble

We, the Signatories of this Charter:

Affirm that communication is basic to the life of all individuals and their communities;

Affirm that all people are entitled to participate in communication within and between societies;

Recognize that people's access to communication facilities is very unequally distributed and that the majority of the world's people lacks even the minimal technological resources for communication;

Recognize that in a growing number of countries information and culture are not provided primarily as a public service but for private gain;

Recognize that control of communication is essential for freedom of action, that communication confers power, and that today's 'communication revolution' tends to further widen the gaps between the communication rich and the communication poor in the world;

Observe that the concentration of commercial operators on the world communication market erodes the public sphere, displaces public media, endangers the provision of a plurality of opinions, a diversity of cultural expressions, and the use of minority languages (including sign language);

Observe that today's media contents present audiences massive amounts of violence which suggest violence as a legitimate solution to problems and which make people fearful of becoming victims and thus disempower them;

Observe that global media entertainment employs gendered stereotypes that misrepresent both women and men.

Therefore, we affirm that all people are entitled to equal access to the resources they need for communication within and between their societies.

We equally affirm the need for people to develop their own communication channels through which they can speak for themselves and tell their own stories.

We reaffirm with regard to the freedom of information, the social responsibility of the mass media, the development of communication, and the protection of cultural and linguistic rights the pertinent provisions in international law as listed in the Annexe to the Charter.

We want to strengthen current provisions on information, communication, and culture under international law, and in particular the mechanisms for their implementation.

Objectives

The Charter intends to contribute to a critical understanding of the significance of communication in the daily lives of all individuals and their communities.

While recognizing the diversity among communities and individuals, the Charter articulates a shared position on communication from the perspective of common interests, needs and rights.

Scope of application

Signatories to the Charter can be individuals and organizations. Approval represents an expression of goals that does not limit independence and freedom of action of the signatories.

Definitions

The term 'Charter' as used in this Charter means a set of guidelines that are voluntarily adopted by the signatories and that are used as their common frame of reference in communication issues.

The term 'communication' refers to all interactive processes through which individuals and communities share opinions, information, feelings and ideas.

The term 'information' is understood in a very broad sense and includes news as well as entertainment.

The term 'media' refers to publicly or privately owned mass media for print or electronic communication.

The term 'cyberspace' refers to the virtual spaces which are facilitated through the use of computer networks and where people establish new communities for learning, working and sharing of interests.

Guidelines: General Standards

Article 1.

All people are entitled to the respect of their inalienable dignity. All people will be treated in accordance with the basic human rights standards of integrity, identity, nondiscrimination and freedom.

Article 2.

People have the right to freedom of expression and distribution of opinions, information, feelings and ideas, in any language, without interference by public or private interests. In order to exercise this right, people should have fair and equitable access to channels of communication and to adequate resources and facilities.

Article 3.

People have the right to receive opinions, information and ideas in a language they understand. The right to be informed about matters of public interest and the right to receive a range of information and cultural products designed for a wide variety of tastes and interests, demand communication channels that are independent from governmental, political or commercial control.

Article 4.

People have the right to gather information in a language they understand. This includes the right of access to government information and information on matters of public interest held by public authorities or private interests. There can only be restrictions on access to government and privately held information of public interest if such restrictions are necessary for the protection of a democratic society or the basic rights of others.

Article 5.

Meaningful realization of people's right to participate in, contribute to and benefit from the development of self-reliant communication infrastructures requires international assistance to the development of independent media; training programmes for professional media workers; the establishment of independent, representative associations, syndicates or trade unions of journalists and associations of editors and publishers; and international co-operation in the field of policy making, regulation and management of media.

Article 6.

People have the right to acquire the skills necessary to participate fully in public communication. This requires basic literacy in reading and writing, training in story telling, as well as media literacy, computer literacy and critical education about the role of communication in society in a language people understand.

Article 7.

Since information of public interest will often be gathered on behalf of the people by professionals, effective measures to ensure the safety of journalists on dangerous missions are essential. To be secure in their persons, journalists must be accorded full protection of the law. For journalists working in zones of armed conflict, the appropriate provisions in international humanitarian law should be respected and enforced. In accordance with these provisions journalists must be recognized as civilians enjoying rights and immunities accorded to all civilians in order to conduct their professional duties without harm. Journalists must have safe, unrestricted access to sources of information in order to provide the public with a balanced and adequate reflection of all sides of events. If these rights are not guaranteed, journalists must be able to seek justice through an international body protecting human rights.

Article 8.

People have the right of reply. In relation to information concerning individuals published in any medium, the individuals concerned shall have an effective possibility for correction, without undue delay, of false statements relating to them which they have a justified interest in having corrected, such corrections being given, as far as practical, the same prominence as the original expression.

Article 9.

People have the right to a diversity of languages. This includes the right to express themselves and have access to information in their own language, the right to use their own languages as media of instruction in educational institutions funded by the state and the right to have adequate provisions created for minority languages in the media.

Article 10.

People have the right to protect their cultural identity. This includes the respect for people's free pursuit of their cultural development and the right to express existing cultural and linguistic variety through the media as well as to receive a variety of cultural expressions in languages they understand. People have the right to the protection of their local cultural space and provisions for the protection of cultural heritage should be established. These entitlements can only be restricted in the case that they are used to justify human rights violations.

Article 11.

People have the right to participate in public decision-making on the provision of information, on the development and utilization of knowledge, on the preservation, protection and development of culture, On the choice, development and application of communication technologies, and on the structure of media industries.

Article 12.

All forms of public regulation on communication should be transparent. This includes the right of the public to receive full information on public policies in the field of information, knowledge, culture and communication technology in a language they understand. Public transparency should also extend to the practices and organizational structures of large private operators. This means that information on the ownership patterns of private communication corporations should be publicly accessible.

Article 13.

Children have the right to mass media products that are designed to meet their needs and interests. Countries should take the necessary steps to provide and make available quality cultural and entertainment products, including by public provision when commercial media fail in this regard.

Article 14.

The mass media should have particular regard to the linguistic needs of the child who belongs to a minority group or who is indigenous.

Article 15.

People have a right to universal access to and equitable use of cyberspace. With the increasing importance of cyberspace for many social activities, people's rights to free and open communities in cyberspace, their freedom of electronic expression, and the protection of their privacy against electronic surveillance and intrusion should be secured.

Guidelines: Protective standards

Article 16.

Societies vary in the extent and ways they protect the privacy of individuals. The media should respect people's right to respect for their private lives. Privacy concerns private, family and home life, physical and moral integrity, honour and reputation, avoidance of being placed in a false light, non-revelation of irrelevant and embarrassing facts, unauthorized publication of private photographs, protection against misuse of private communication, protection from disclosure of information given or received by the individual confidentially. Nevertheless, countries should take care that the legal protection of privacy does not unduly interfere with the freedom of expression.

Article 17.

The media should avoid the prejudicial treatment of persons. This means that the media should refrain from the use of images that distort the realities and complexities of people's lives or that fuel prejudice by discriminatory descriptions of people and situations.

Article 18.

People have the right to respect for the standard of due process in the coverage of criminal cases by the media. This standard implies that the media should not declare defendants guilty before courts have established a verdict of guilt, and may report but should not televise criminal trials in real time, while the trials are going on.

Article 19.

People have the right to be protected against misleading and distorted information. This right concerns the dissemination of news, the provision of consumer information, and in particular advertising directed at children.

Article 20.

People's fundamental right to communicate can only be restricted if limitations are prescribed by international human rights standards and are necessary in democratic societies.

Accountability and responsibility

Article 21.

The media should establish mechanisms, including self-regulatory bodies, to address their accountability to the general public. The media should act consistently with the fundamental right of citizens to receive accurate and full information on matters of public interest.

Article 22.

Media users should organize to establish voluntary associations through which they monitor and assess the performance of the media.

Article 23.

People have the right to hold information providers accountable for the accuracy of their information and establish liability in case inaccurate information causes damage. This should not construe undue limits for the freedom of expression, but States should consider imposing liability for proven damage or other remedies such as required corrections at least where it is proven in a court of law that an information provider has wilfully disseminated inaccurate or misleading information or has facilitated the dissemination of such information.

Article 24.

In accordance with international human rights standards all people have the duty to strive towards the respect of human rights. In the light of this we urge all people to contribute to the implementation of the provisions of this Charter.

Implementation of the Charter

Article 25.

In order to ensure and promote the implementation of the Charter, the Signatories shall: (a) make all necessary efforts to publicize and disseminate the Charter to the widest possible audience; (b) monitor in their own environment the performance of media, information providers and producers of culture in the light of the standards proposed in the Charter.

Article 26.

In consultation with those who support the Charter a series of national and international mechanisms will be organized: (a) to receive complaints about violations of the provisions of the Charter; (b) to advise on adequate remedial measures; (c) to develop proposals for development and modification of the Charter; (d) to co-ordinate the regular review of the Charter by the signatories.

Annexe

With regard to the freedom of information, standards are set by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, by UNESCO Resolutions 3.2 of 1983 and 4.1 of 1991 on the Right to Communicate; by the provisions on information of the 1975 Final Act of the Conference on Security and co-operation in Europe; by the 1991 UNESCO Declaration of Windhoek; and by Article 13 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

With regard to the social responsibility of mass media standards are set by the 1978 UNESCO Declaration on Fundamental Principles concerning the Contribution of the Mass Media to Strengthening Peace and International Understanding, to the Promotion of Human Rights and to Countering Racialism, Apartheid and Incitement to War; by Article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; by Article 5 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and by Article 17 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

With regard to the development of communication standards are set by the UN Declaration on the Right to Development of 1986; and by UNESCO Resolution 4.1. of 1991 on Communication for development.

With regard to the protection of cultural and linguistic rights standards are set by Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; by Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; by Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and by the 1966 UNESCO Declaration of the Principles of International Cultural Co-operation.

Amsterdam, March 31, 1996.

The People's Communication Charter is intended as a modest step towards a global movement to shape the cultural environment in accordance with people's needs and interests. Over the past three years several draft texts have circulated and we received a large number of suggestions for improvement. Please do not hesitate to join the movement and share your comments and ideas with us. The address for contributions to the revision of the Charter and for suggestions about its implementation is: Centre for Communication & Human Rights, 123 Burg. Hoguerstraat, 1064 CL Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Telephone: +31 20 611 5946. Telefax: +31 20 611 5296. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

http://www.pccharter.net/