Word: unesco
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...nation meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Belgrade vented their complaints against the Western press, demanding a "new information order" that would give them greater control over international reporting of their affairs. Last week the Third World nations used their numerical superiority in UNESCO to move that new order closer to reality...
From here, it is not a long philosophical step for governments to seek similar restrictions on the freedom of the foreign press to report unpleasant news. In fact, enough Third World countries were ready to support a Soviet resolution along just these lines at UNESCO'S 1976 general conference, in Nairobi, to give the international press its first real fright. The proposal was shelved at the last minute. Instead, the MacBride Commission was appointed to study ways of "achieving a freer and more balanced flow of information." The commission's report is now out; eventually it will...
...news, unfortunately, undermines the good. Damage control efforts by Western and moderate Third World members of the MacBride Commission were only partly successful. Reflecting the missionary zeal of its UNESCO drafters, the report is permeated with a preference for a guided, rather than an independent, press. One key passage calls for "the formulation by all nations, and particularly developing countries, of comprehensive communication policies linked to overall social, cultural, economic and political goals." Another, obviously aimed at the international news agencies, recommends "effective legal measures designed to circumscribe the action of transnationals by requiring them to comply with specific criteria...
Ominously, UNESCO's threeyear, $625 million budget, which was tabled in Belgrade last week, would fund studies into several pet UNESCO projects opposed by Western newsmen. These include a definition of "socially responsible communication" (implying criteria for news content), the "promotion of ethical principles" for journalists (feared as restricting reportorial freedom) and analyzing "the impact of advertising" (which could lead to a restrictive international advertising code). UNESCO also seems determined to push toward "special protection" for journalists-even though the MacBride report warns that this might involve setting up licensing bodies to determine which journalists should be protected...
...year ago, a California gathering of newspaper editors was asked how many knew about the new information order; only two out of 282 editors raised their hands. But the battle over the UNESCO proposals is not just a matter for the trade. At stake, ultimately, is the right of readers, radio listeners and television viewers everywhere to be properly informed about the world around them; for the developing and industrial countries alike to learn about one another without hindrance...