Media community: Development based on self-regulation and improving media literacy of the population
23/08/2019 09:12
Media community: Development based on self-regulation and improving media literacy of the population
23/08/2019 09:12
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- During the period of large-scale transformation of all areas within the framework of the Action Strategy, it is important to bring objective and reliable information about events and processes in the country to the population and the international community. The nationwide Yuksalish movement supports the processes of ensuring the informational openness of society, the dynamic development of the national information space and is ready to fully support them.
Media play an increasingly important role in shaping public opinion in the country and the image of Uzbekistan abroad. Today they are becoming a platform for an open dialogue between the government and the people, discussion of topical and resonant issues.
Recently, however, there have been cases of obstruction of the activities of journalists, including their participation in open court hearings, and obtaining information from government agencies. Some government agencies, despite the availability of appropriate legal guarantees for media representatives, are still not ready for an open and constructive dialogue with the media and bloggers.
In many respects, thanks to the active citizenship of bloggers, individual web publications, thousands of social network users, mutually acceptable solutions were found for a number of resonant situations - the requirement to drive with the headlights on during the daytime, the ban on tinting, the new procedure for admission to secondary schools, illegal demolitions real estate. As a result, important government decisions were made, including the adoption of a new procedure for the seizure of land and the demolition of real estate.
Such examples show that the opinions and constructive proposals of citizens, even if they are expressed in the media, social networks, are taken into account, thereby ensuring widespread participation of the population in state and public administration.
But there is a flip side to the coin. Along with citizens who are ready to openly express their thoughts on the network, to come up with new initiatives and proposals, the so-called “trolls” are increasingly entering the arena. They hide behind fictitious names, post ambiguous posts or outright lies, trying to manipulate the public consciousness, and in the comments often do not adhere to normative vocabulary, turn to individuals, trying to discredit people, incite hostility.
At the same time, fakes take significantly less time to get to the top of the most viewed messages. Due to the seeming novelty of false information, network users are trying to repost it, which leads to the appearance of various rumors, speculation, aggression, as a result of a decrease in confidence in government agencies. The priority of the media championship is valid: whoever said the first is right. Even if a fake is followed by an official refutation, it is not a fact that people will believe. Rational arguments lose emotional stereotypes.
The deliberate spread of misinformation is a threat to any society. For such actions, as well as for defamation, insults, civil, administrative and criminal forms of liability are established.
The question of the right to apply and improve legislation in this area, including from the point of view of concretization and unification of individual norms, ensuring their compliance with international law, remains open.
In particular, in February 2019, the international human rights organization ARTICLE 19, which promotes the protection of freedom of speech and freedom of information around the world, published the results of an analysis of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Media” for compliance with international standards in the field of freedom of expression. The statement by ARTICLE 19 notes the improvement of the human rights situation in Uzbekistan in recent years, as well as the importance of reviewing existing legislation affecting freedom of expression.
ARTICLE 19 experts emphasize that the right to information should be guaranteed for everyone, not just the media. The Media Law does not indicate whether the protection of the right of journalists to access information in this document differs in any way from the protection of the right of the public in general to access information. Accordingly, there is no justification for a different access regime for journalists and the public as subjects of the right to access information.
According to ARTICLE 19, “interference with privacy” of citizens is not clearly defined and can be used to protect public servants from disclosing information about their income, ownership of property, expenses and other issues affecting public interests.
How to confront the challenges of the information age? We believe that the problem cannot be solved by introducing prohibitions and blocking of individual web resources.
There will be a growing demand for journalism in society with quality analytics and sound criticism. The issue of personnel, in particular, in the regions, is on the agenda here in turn. It is advisable to consider opening the faculties of journalism and public relations in the regions of the country, creating retraining and advanced training courses for existing employees of media groups. This is especially true in the light of the fulfillment of the tasks defined in the Presidential Decree “On Further Measures to Ensure Independence of the Media and Development of the Activities of the Press Services of Government Agencies and Organizations” from 27 June 2019.
Nevertheless, the situation with the print media, the founders of which are government agencies, including local government bodies, is not clear. It is important to review their activities and legislation. These publications perform important functions of informing the population about the essence and significance of acts of khokimiyats and local Kengashes, the implementation of reforms and territorial programs.
World practice shows that the media sector does not require a rigid framework. Self-regulation is the preferred model for regulating print and online media. It is up to the industry to develop and comply with ethical standards for the media. For example, this is often achieved through the establishment of state-independent media councils open to the participation of any media outlet. Their task is to introduce professional and ethical standards, as well as address complaints related to compliance with such standards. The Institute of Journalist Ethics, based on a firm understanding of the responsibility of the profession to the audience, is enshrined in national law. Recently, a Code of Professional Ethics for Journalists was adopted at a conference of the Union of Journalists of Uzbekistan. However, the question of its effectiveness and sophisticated execution mechanisms is still open.
In addition, it is necessary to analyze the factors that impede the increase in the position of Uzbekistan in international ratings in this area. In particular, in the press freedom rating of the International non-governmental organization Reporters without Borders (RSF), published in April of this year, Uzbekistan took 160th place, having risen by 5 positions. However, the situation is still rated as "bad." The organization said in a statement that supervision and censorship are still present, while the authorities retain a significant level of control over the media.
The above indicates a number of problems and shortcomings in the field of ensuring freedom of expression. This is an urgent issue that requires detailed study and discussion with the participation of all parties. It is advisable to do this at the level of the country’s parliament. In particular, it is possible to organize a parliamentary hearing on ensuring freedom of speech in the country, protecting the professional activities of a journalist, as well as enforcing laws and other regulations in this area with the participation of representatives of the public sector, the media community, civil society institutions, experts, and the public.
We expect that during the planned parliamentary hearing, special attention will be paid to countering the spread of illegal content for the category of persons under the age of majority. Due to the peculiarities of physiological and psychological development, they are easily susceptible to various kinds of manipulations, and may become victims of the spread of destructive information on the Internet.
We expect that the parliament and government will be able to formulate a clear program of effective law enforcement practice of the laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On principles and guarantees of freedom of information”, “On informatization”, “On the media”, “On the protection of the professional activities of journalists”, “On the protection of children from information harmful to their health ”,“ On the openness of the activities of public authorities and administration ”, etc.
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