MEDIA 'SHAMED' WORLD COMMUNITY TO ACTION IN GREAT LAKES CRISIS BUT NEGLECTED ADVANCE DISCUSSION OF CAUSES, UN FORUM IS TOLD

Press Release
GA/9172
PI/980

MEDIA 'SHAMED' WORLD COMMUNITY TO ACTION IN GREAT LAKES CRISIS BUT NEGLECTED ADVANCE DISCUSSION OF CAUSES, UN FORUM IS TOLD

Assembly President Reviews Global Communications Reach, Speaks of Potential for Good but with Commerce-Driven Shortcomings

This is the text of a statement today by the President of the General Assembly, Razali Ismail (Malaysia), at the United Nations World Television Forum in New York:

The revolution in communications and information technology, as a driving force of globalization, has enormous implications for the business and deliberations of the United Nations. For more than 40 years, the inter- governmental process and multilateralism remained the exclusive staple of diplomats and foreign affairs mandarins. International issues found their way into a few column inches of newspapers, and seconds-worth of world service radio broadcasts.

Today the power of the image, transmitted real time across national boundaries, is undeniable. The mere existence of such technology blurs our traditional concepts of sovereignty. Perhaps even more than facts, statistics, the printed word and academic study, these images have brought the tangible reality of a divided and troubled world into our homes and our consciousness.

The current discourse on "globalization" in all its manifestations, has tended to concentrate on the immediate benefits of a so-called "global village", but glossing over the deeper implications, particularly as they affect the poor, the voiceless, the young and the marginalized. Central to this discourse is the powerful role of television. This power is terribly real, there is nothing virtual about it. And as with all human-created powers, its expression must be framed within an understanding of the grave responsibilities that accompany it.

The issues being addressed at this forum are wonderfully complex, current and dynamic. I hope this initiative is the first of many, and that the dialogue generated here will be taken beyond the confines of this hall, to consumers, policy-makers, tax-payers, and young people in all corners of the globe.

The discussion that begins in this forum is one that will assist the international community to determine the type of world and societies we aspire to in the "age of information". This exchange of views should be based on a firm understanding of universal values predicated on pluralism. Not only are these values inviolable, but they apply equally to the private and commercial sectors, as they do to nations, governments and individuals.

It would of course be delusional to hold a rational discussion on the role of television in the world, without being cognizant of the pattern of ownership and influence of media empires today. In the United Nations, the concepts and practices of democracy, pluralism, accountability and burden- sharing are analysed and redefined because they are the fundamental principles that guide international life and guarantee equity for all. Any appraisal of the role of television in international affairs must also find ways to absorb these same principles.

Many countries are mindful that the control of the global media continues to be concentrated in a handful of corporations, giving them enormous powers of influence -- for better or for worse. How will this lead to a level playing-field in the context of the aspirations of many to bridge the gaps and reconcile the huge disparities which exist between and within our societies? In the past, television networks have proclaimed themselves to be "windows on the world", but preoccupations with ratings and the imperatives of commercial sponsorship have led media coverage down the path of glib explanations for complex issues, wrapped in the sweetness of consumerism. An overwhelming culture of "soundbites" and glossy illustrations have pushed the critical issues of poverty, social justice and degradation of the environment to the margins.

This is a great pity, the more so for being avoidable. Citizens and audiences around the world are deeply interested in international issues as they relate to themselves and their community. The search for more in-depth analysis, diverse viewpoints and means of participation are evident in the incredible proliferation of civil society organizations around the world. The rise of civil society organizations have generated valuable and alternative modes of distributing and sharing information.

- 3 - Press Release GA/9172 PI/980 21 November 1996

Why has the media been unable, or unwilling, to cover the major debates of our age, such as those that are conducted in the United Nations, as part of mainstream political and social debate? These issues are about the fundamental relationships between the North and the South, examining the nature of the connections between individuals in New York and farmers in the Himalayas for example. Such connections do exist and are very real in their impacts. But these stories do not offer sexy visuals or celebrity gossip, they are difficult to package, and their long-term complexity implies difficult policy decisions -- hardly newsworthy compared to the immediate crises and catastrophes which are pregnant with human drama and tragedy.

The current situation in the Great Lakes region provides a telling example of so-called "crisis management" by the international community, impelled to act by the power of television images. It seems the media, particularly through graphic TV images, shamed the international community for failing to act quickly enough to contain the immediate catastrophe. It could be argued, however, that the media in its choice of news content and priorities shared some guilt for neglecting to expose the absence of long-term political solutions that would have prevented such a crisis from occurring in the first place. While the power of the media -- particularly of television in the case of remote places -- is such that it can influence decision making at the highest political level, such an enormous responsibility is deserved only if it is matched by an even-handed representation of news values and world events.

There is no doubting that the growth and influence of electronic, satellite and information technology is astonishing. But its impact poses one of the biggest political and ethical challenges of our time. Although many sectors of society benefit from this technology, we are also aware that those without access to it are further marginalized. Are we to enter the twenty-first century where every citizen in the North has a personal computer and television, but women in Africa still have to walk 30 miles to fetch potable water?

Our media-rich world, with an overload of visual and audio information, can be a blessing and a pain. We seem to crave information, but at the same time feel inundated, intruded upon, and helpless for a seeming lack of control. Perhaps one of the greatest ironies of the "global village" is the growing and persistent phenomenon of exclusion, where individuals are simultaneously connected to the world by way of fibre optic cables and via satellite transmissions, but suffer from a pervasive sense of loss and alienation from community values, which are based on social exchange and personal relationships.

- 4 - Press Release GA/9172 PI/980 21 November 1996

Today's television environment enlarges choice, creates opportunities for diversity and promotes a freer flow of information. However, such an enlargement of peoples' choices would only be a false distortion of empowerment, if it were to be restricted within the doctrine of consumerism, or pre-packaged by power elites. Information technology that spans the globe can concentrate ownership, limit access, homogenize content and pit freedom of expression against certain minimum standards. Therein lies our dilemma and our challenge.

Balancing our preoccupation with market forces and our espoused commitments to equity, must guide our efforts to maximize the full potential of information technology. Is information infrastructure fated to develop in ways that widen the North-South divide? Or can it with vision and creativity, harness the strengths of diversity and promote cultural conviviality? I hope this forum can in its deliberations over the next two days find the beginnings of an answer to this question: "How can the largest number of people, with a plurality of values and living in such different circumstances, be offered a voice, a human face and a stake in the world of television?"

* *** *