WAPC Oceania Conference

The Council recently hosted the first Oceania Regional Conference of the World Association of Press Council. Professor Dennis Pearce summarises the conference. Reports on the major sessions can be found elsewhere in this issue. .

This Conference, as with all Conferences held under the auspices of the World Association of Press Councils, has been concerned with the fundamental concept of freedom of the press. Underlying this is the principle that the standards set by the press in exercising their freedom of reporting are their own standards and not those required of them by another authority. However, to justify these principles the press has to be accountable for the standards that it adopts. This has been the subject of this Conference.

The Conference was opened by the Premier of Queensland who expressed concern with an invasion of his privacy through the new medium, the Internet, and Professor John Henningham gave the keynote address which looked at the future of the print media. (See the report on the opening session.)

The Main Issues

Two primary issues have underpinned the discussion. What should be the standards adopted by the press and to whom should the press account for the standards adopted? The Conference considered these issues by focusing on the broad topics of the reporting of conflicts and the relationship between the press and the courts.

Conflicts

On the reporting of conflict, the discussion was formally divided between the public and the private sectors and the sessions concentrated attention on the issues germane to each sector. But it was apparent from the speakers and the follow up discussion that there were many principles that were in common.

Speakers pointed to problems stemming from lack of familiarity with, and misunderstandings of the nuances of, language. They pointed also to problems of misunderstanding between different cultures. This was apparent in the reporting of all forms of public conflicts but it also arose in elements of the presentation of private and domestic conflict in that issues that would be acceptable in one culture are not in another.

Speakers also considered these issues in relation to media outlets other than the traditional (in Australia) English speaking press. The point was made that the ethnic press has found it difficult to establish a voice of its own removed from issues pertaining solely to the day-to-day interests of the ethnic community with which the particular newspaper is concerned. It was, however, suggested that growing confidence on the part of the ethnic press is moving it into a position where it is willing to report on matters of conflict and to take sides in such issues.

Another major development that was alluded to by speakers related to the publication of information on the internet. Here it was seen that there was no lack of willingness to engage with issues. However, it was pointed out that the question that constantly exercises users of the internet is the extent to which it is possible to rely upon material on the net in terms of its accuracy. The point was made that the internet will not become a major source of acceptable reporting of conflicts until it can gain the confidence of users. (See the report on reporting of conflicts.)

Privacy

A particular issue that the Conference debated in relation to domestic conflicts and their reporting was the extent to which people might wish to share their grief with the community generally. The constant criticism is levelled at the press that it is invasive of people's privacy was questioned on the ground that there are many people who find comfort in making their grief known to their wider community and accepting the concerns of that community as a recognition of their loss. The issue was also raised whether the whole concept of privacy needs rethinking in a changing world where technology has run across concepts of privacy in such a way as to make the accepted definitions and approaches now out of date. This led to the question being raised whether Press Councils' consideration of invasion of privacy as a ground for receiving complaints should be varied by taking into account a broader concept of abuse of community values by the press. This would be judged by the Council as the representative of community views. (See the report on the coverage of private matters.)

The Courts

The second day of the Conference was concerned with the relationship between the courts and the media. The point was made by all speakers that it is an uneasy relationship and not one that seems to be improving. Both sides felt that there was a need to explain their positions to each other as it appears that there is little understanding of the different value systems and the different pressures under which the courts and the press operate. The Conference provided value in enabling some of these differences in perception to be explored and the difficulties that each institution faces to be aired and explained. (See the report on the Courts and the media.)

Research

A session at the Conference provided an opportunity for a number of persons engaged in research in the media in Australia to explain to the audience the nature of that research. This opened the way for a most interesting range of ideas and indicated the vibrancy of research into the media in Australia.

WAPC

The direction that should be taken by the World Association of Press Councils was considered from a number of different viewpoints. The Executive Council of the Association met and considered the recommendations of working parties established at the Istanbul Conference in October 1998 to consider, respectively, the establishment of local press councils and the creation of a transnational complaints mechanism. There was general support of the need to assist countries which do not have a local press council but which are anxious to find a means of establishing bodies of that kind. This was seen as a mechanism that was particularly appropriate where the press was under pressure not to publish material critical of the government of the country.

There was not such uniform support for the establishment by the WAPC of a mechanism to deal with complaints about the international media. Questions were raised about the need for and acceptance of a transnational complaints mechanism.

The working parties in relation to both topics were asked to bring revised papers back to the Executive of the WAPC after member Councils had had an opportunity to consider them and suggest amendments.

South Pacific

The final session of the Conference heard reports from a number of countries in the Pacific region. These reports presented a striking picture of the actions and of the difficulties facing the press in small countries where there is one principal media outlet and the local government exercises constraints over the freedom of the media to report what it considers is in the public interest. These country reports were enlightening to those members of the audience who have come to accept press freedom as being a matter of right. (See the reports on these 3 sessions.)

Conclusion

The use of small group meetings at this Conference led to lively discussion of the issues that had been the subject of papers from the speakers. This mechanism is recommended as a means to be followed for involving more people in discussion at WAPC Conferences.

Thanks were expressed to all speakers and sponsors of the Conference and special mention was made of the efforts of the Australian Press Council Secretariat, in particular those of the Conference organiser Jack Herman.

A statement of the outcomes of the Conference has been agreed.

Dennis Pearce

see also
Index of Dennis Pearce's material on the website

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