Democracy and the Media: The Ineluctable Connection between Democracy and the Quality of Journalism
By Inter-American Dialogue
May 2, 2005
Introduction
This report and proposal are the result of more than three years of intense consultation among major leaders of news organizations in Central America and reflects their broad consensus that sustained efforts to improve the quality of journalism in their media outlets are among the most fundamental contributions to the strengthening of democracy in the region. The Commission on Media and Democracy in Central America began working systematically in 2003. It conducted a series of meetings and consultations in each of the five Central American countries, designed to advance the dialogue in the region about the critical relations between democracy and the media. Conclusions of the meetings were supplemented by in-depth interviews to assemble the opinions of fifty-two additional media owners and others exercising lead- ership in the profession. The consultations focused in particular on questions of improving the quality of journalistic activity and enhancing the contribution of news organizations to the democratic practice of national and regional communities.
At the heart of this effort is the recognition that media organizations can and must achieve economic success as they carry out their fundamental duty of informing an active citizenry, which is a prerequisite of a successful democratic society.
In the discussions and in the surveys, several topics and observations have stood out. The news media in Central America continue to enjoy strong respect and credibility among viewers, listeners and readers, but they cannot take for granted that this will always be the case. The news media in our countries are credited with playing a historic role in defending freedom of expression during periods of authoritarian governments and promoting the return to fuller democratic systems. Now that democratic governing structures are the general rule in our societies, we must pay special attention to what it means to be journalists and media owners within a democracy and to the ways we can contribute to and strengthen democratic institutions, which themselves are sometimes weak and in the process of consolidation. In this new situation, the media confront often contradictory criticism from those who wish to influence them.
Governments, on the one hand, often complain bitterly that media criticisms are too harsh and negative and may even undermine trust in government performance. Other critics, in opposition circles, attack the media for not being critical enough.
While the media is open to listening to such dueling criticism from all quarters, they recognize that the responsibility lies solely with themselves to develop the journalistic processes needed to produce fair, accurate and balanced coverage that will best serve the needs of citizens. That is the challenge that the Commission embraces: to propose concrete steps toward the continuing improvement in the quality of our news product and to remedy perceived problems in the practice of journalism, in the service of strengthening democracy.
The fundamental premise of our endeavor is that the news media must continue to speak as the foremost advocates of freedom of expression in our societies and to defend proactively against threats to a free and independent press whenever such threats arise. In addition, we firmly believe that improving the quality of our journalistic products, whether in radio, television or print media, is the key to the success and effectiveness of our news organizations in the current era of democratic consolidation. Recognizing that the news media carry heavy responsibilities toward the effectiveness of democracy in our societies, the members of the Commission commit themselves to a course of action, both in their individual newsrooms and jointly in a regional institution designed to strengthen and improve journalistic practice and professional standards of journalistic quality and ethics.
It is in this spirit that the members of the Commission, in presenting this report, propose the creation of the Central American Forum on the Media and Democracy. The Forum is envisioned as a permanent regional institution, made up exclusively of news media owners and journalistic leaders, to carry out programs to improve the quality of the news media, achieve business success, and contribute to the practice of democracy.
This report lays out the Commission’s strategic vision underlying the fundamental connection between journalism quality and the news media’s ability to carry out their vital role in a democratic society. It describes the various activities and programs that such a regional organization of media leaders could undertake to achieve these goals, and proposes a plan of action to create the Forum and to guide it during its period of gestation.
(See PDF for text of full report)