Transcript Slide 1

Session: Legitimacy, the public broadcaster and the public
agenda. How do public broadcasters establish their identity?
Peer review for African
Public Broadcasters
Guy Berger
Conference: “Global media, culture
and tomorrow’s challenges.” PBI,
Maputo, 21-22 September, 2006
STAY TUNED
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Aping the APRM
Why’s and wherefore’s
How to handle
By whom?
Anticipating objections and risks
So what?
Africa
&
APRM
APRM: African self-monitoring
mechanism
• OAU→AU ended the taboo on sovereignity.
• APRM agreed by Nepad Heads of State, 2002.
• Voluntary: Almost half African governments
have signed up.
• Self-assessment with stakeholders, & by
African experts.
• Process is independent and professional.
• Produces a public report plus
recommendations for improvements.
Relevant features
• Accepts different baselines as starting
points. Not “1 size = all”.
• Focuses on Nepad priority areas such as:
– strengthening institutions of
democracy and human rights,
– improving budgeting and financial
performance,
– promotion of rights enshrined in
African and International HR
instruments.
APRM: where’s its value?
• Identifies areas for strengthening.
• Promotes best practice.
• Good for credibility.
• Can be used to persuade development
partners to support recommendations.
• Builds African unity and pride.
Limits from PBS p.o.v.
• APRM does not see media issues as part
of good governance.
• Missing from its standards – which
include various international and
African declarations – is the 2002
Freedom of Expression declaration by
African Commission on Human and
People’s rights.
Declaration on Free Expression:
This “standard” says PSBs should:
– account to the public through the legislature rather than
government,
– be governed by a board protected against interference,
– have guaranteed editorial independence;
– have adequate funding and in a manner that protects
them from arbitrary interference;
– strive to ensure that their transmission system covers
the whole territory of the country; and
– have a clear public service ambit including an obligation
to ensure politically balanced information, particularly
during election periods.
APRM silence on PBS
• The APRM says its team should consult with,
amongst others, civil society including media.
• And it mentions as one indicator: “the
effectiveness of independent media in
informing the public and providing freedom of
expression”.
• BUT it does not specifically deal with PBS,
which is not “civil society”, nor is it exactly in
the camp of “independent media”.
• There is thus a need – and an opportunity!
Significance in context
• Transition from GBS to PBS
• Some stranded in civil service mode
• Challenge of commercialisation
• Challenge of competition
• Ongoing needs for PSB – democratic role
(impartial), languages, health, imaging
the continent.
Why an
APRM
for
PBSs?
Towards a normative consensus
• A Peer Review Mechanism would set out clear
& agreed standards for PBS in African
conditions.
• Assessing would be against these standards
• NOT a beauty contest to be the best PBS in
Africa. It is a sharing by peers, not a
collaboration between competitors.
• A degree of benchmarking becomes possible,
although each PBS ultimately is judged in
terms of its own mandate.
• Comprehensive and helpful self-, social- and
external- audit.
Objective of an APRM
• Foreground uncontestable standards and
elicit decent data.
• Should be no dispute: objective process.
• Issue then is: how to use this for
improvements, and when to repeat.
• It builds upon, but is different to,
International Benchmarking process,
Certimedia, and other systems.
Maputo Bdcast Reform Initiative
14 – 16 August 2006:
• Attention should be given towards
establishing an African Public Broadcasting
Peer Review Mechanism (APPRM),
• This mechanism should be voluntary and
with criteria and review team based on
consensus amongst those public broadcasters
that sign up.
• The process would, like the APRM, proceed
with a national self-assessment that would
draw in stakeholders like parliamentarians,
NGOs, governments, public broadcasting
bodies and journalists.
Here’s
how:
•Generic points
•Broadcasters
•PBS
•African PBS
GENERIC: Drawing from APRM
• Good Corporate Governance has seven
distinguishing characteristics:
discipline, transparency, independence,
accountability, responsibility, fairness
and social responsibility.
• APRM develops indicators accordingly.
• These are all relevant to PBSs.
Link to TQM principles
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Customer focus
Leadership
Empowerment
Process approach
Systemic approach
Continuous improvement
Decisions based on facts
Relationship with suppliers mutually
beneficiary
Self- Assessment Tool
Management system (sample)
1- Have you defined in writing the
Mission of your company?
2- Is it appropriately deployed in
operational objectives and action plans?
3- Are there meetings between the
personnel and the management on a
regular basis?
Self- Assessment Tool
Human Resources (sample)
1- Is there job descriptions in place for
all the personnel?
2- Is there a formal system in place for the
yearly evaluation of performance?
3- Is the training of the personnel well
adapted to the needs?
BROADCASTING: Certimedia
• This review standard does not judge
actual content but what lies behind
the output – i.e. a broadcaster’s
systems and processes.
• How each broadcaster organises
itself to meet the standards of such
systems is up to each institution to
decide.
Certimedia’s ISAS BC 9001
• Inspired by ISO 9001:2000
•152 questions in total
It measures how you meet:
• Universal access;
• Audience and citizen participation;
• Avoidance of one-sided reporting and
programming in regard to religion, politics,
culture, race and gender.
• If there is a code for programmes and an
editorial charter, a code for advertising and a
code of ethics.
• How the broadcaster secures its independence
from economic or political interests;
• Commitment to promoting local, regional and
national cultures;
• Mechanisms to promote respect of minorities
and pluralistic information.
SOUTH AFRICA ...
Providers
Users
TOTAL
1- Social Relevance
92
22
2- Quality of Information
59
22
3- Audience Satisfaction
33
11
4- Independence & Transparency
29
5- Proximity to Cultural Identities
17
9
6- Diversity of Contents
15
15
7- Accessibility to the Media
15
12
8- Competence of Broadcaster Staff
8
8
9- Vision, Values, Mission
7
0
10- Creation & Innovation
7
11- Ethics & Policies
6
12- Corporate Social Investment
6
6
13- Participation & Interactivity
6
6
30
Experts
40
37
9
13
29
5
3
3
7
7
1
5
0
Some Certimedia indicators
1- Independence & Transparency
2- Ethics & Policies
3- Minority Representation &
Proximity
12- Education
13- Participation & Interactivity
14- Pluralism
4- Audience Satisfaction
15- World Perspective
5- Accessibility to the Media
16- Competence of Staff
6- Innovation & Creation
7- Quality of Information
17- Corporate Social Investment
8- Social Relevance
19- Programmes Scheduling
9- Diversity of Contents
20- Women Empowerment
10- Quality of Contents
21- Quality of Equipment
11- Citizen Empowerment
18- Religion
Mix of generic & bdcast specific
• Section 4.1 of ISO 9001:2000 shall be applied.
• Specific requirements for broadcasters:
• The broadcaster shall identify and document
all the critical processes having a direct
impact on:
– The quality of the contents of the broadcast
programs (from design to audience feed-back)
– The relationship with the National Regulation
Authority and/or the Government
– The relationship with advertisers
– The relationship with suppliers
– The measurement of audience numbers and
satisfaction
– The management of human resources
7.5.1 Control of production
and service provision
• Section 7.5.1 of ISO 9001:2000 shall be applied.
• Specific requirements for broadcasters:
• The broadcasting company shall establish and
maintain quality dash-boards giving a clear picture of
the evolution of the following KPIs:
– Diversity of programs contents sorted in three main
categories: information, education and
entertainment
– National Regulation Authority complaints
– Quality of technical equipment
– Participation rate of citizens and civil society, level
of interactivity and citizen empowerment efforts in
the broadcast programs
– Social usefulness including women empowerment,
cultural promotion, cultural diversity, religion, etc.
of broadcast programmes.
PBS as a particular broadcaster:
“
We must design evaluation
mechanisms for the public
broadcaster suited to its obligations,
which are not those of commercial
broadcasters. This leads us to
question ratings as a means of
evaluation. ”
World Radio & Television Council
PBS: International Benchmarking (8 countries 2001-2)
• KPIs comparable across each broadcaster;
– measurable and reliable with data available
for each broadcaster;
– relevant to each broadcaster’s activities.
• 4 categories of benchmarks for broadcast:
– Quality
– Distinctiveness
– Efficiency
– Universality
ABC performance irt the International
Benchmarking Group.
CBC Special Examination report
By the Office of the Auditor General into:
• Strategic planning & risk management
• Service to Canadians
• People management
• Capital assets
• Support services
Results of the OAG review:
• There are shortcomings in the
Corporation’s external accountability
structure, its governance relationships
and its performance information.
• It is feasible to measure the
distinctiveness, and CBC should develop
such a measurement framework.
• Internal culture needs attention.
AFRICAN PBSs
• A peer review is not: a certification
system, a benchmarking, nor an OAG
audit.
• But it can profitably draw from these.
• Need to add African specifics:
– Contribution to languages
– HiV-Aids policies
– Xenophobia policies
– Educative-developmental
– Training and tech policies
And refer to African Standards
• African Charter on Freedom of
Expression
• African Charter on Broadcasting
• SADC election standards (& Misa-SABA
declaration)
Africa Media Barometer (FES)
African Commission Declaration:
Standard: The public broadcaster accounts to
the public through a board representative of
society at large and selected in an
independent, open and transparent manner.
Indicators:
• Persons who have vested interests of a
political or commercial nature are excluded
from possible membership in the board, i.e.
office bearers with the state and political
parties as well as those with a financial
interest in the broadcasting industry.
• Editorial independence guaranteed by law
and practised.
By
whom?
UNESCO/WRTVC/FES/ AIBD International
Workshop on PSB best practices : evaluation,
monitoring and standards. 2005
• Monitoring and evaluation should cover the
way PSB is actually implementing its mission
as defined in the legal texts.
• Evaluation should be done by the broadcasters
themselves and/or by external bodies.
• There should be explicit rules and institutions
both for internal and external evaluation.
• A code of conduct should exist both for
internal and external evaluations.
UNESCO/WRTVC/FES/ AIBD Workshop cntd.
• The membership of the external bodies should
be made up of independent persons serving
the public interest, including experts and
representatives of civil society.
• The instruments of monitoring and evaluation
should be manifold, professional and valid.
They may include the voices of the viewers
and listeners, staff, public hearings, expert
judgments, and benchmark tests.
APRM’s people
• Committee of participating countries
• Panel of Eminent Persons
• Secretariat
• Country review team
• Not consultants
• Not foreign
• Involves public – transparent process
APRM stages
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Secretariat visits country, MoU agreed.
Two entities collect info and exchange.
Country review team visits.
Then report and govt response.
Both go to APR Forum, which discusses and
gives results to the country concerned.
Report will recommend follow up and dates for
checking progress.
Report then made public.
Secretariat holds workshops on best practice
Baseline data for subsequent APRM
Legitimacy irt PSB
• Take into consideration the needs and
expectations of all the stakeholders:
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Audience /Viewers
Personnel of the broadcasting company
Shareholders
Advertisers
Sub-contractors
Citizens, Civil Society
National Regulation Authority
Government
Parliament
Judiciary
“no!”
&
“what
if”
Possible problems
• Objections
– “this is outside interference”
– “bias is likely”
– “fear of criticism”
– “something to hide”
• Risk of report legitimising poor practices
– the politics of how it is played can defeat
objectives.
– whether there is good faith, or whether
PBSs see this as mainly a PR exercise
So
what?
Historic chance
• A unique & credible process.
• Can leapfrog for progress.
• Homegrown definitions & control.
• Help identify how to deal with
environment of deregulation and
pluralism.
• Enabling rather than prescriptive.
• Help give better public service.
AIBD Seminar, Bangkok, 2004
Recommendations regarding Legal,
Ethical, Financial and Administrative
Aspects of PSB:
Recommendation:
The international community should be
requested to take into account whether
the above conditions (independence and
editorial independence – GB) are met
when considering providing assistance
to public broadcasters.
Peer review can do!
Bold steps needed
• To develop or improve a legitimate
identity as a valued PBS in each country.
• This is a window of opportunity – but it
will not stay open forever.
• PBS leadership need to champion it.
• Too busy? Save yourself time in the
longterm!
• Too doubtful? Do it for the interests of
PSB!
• Thank you!