Public broadcasting service in compliance with UNESCO’s best practices

The “Public Service Broadcasting — A Best Practices Sourcebook” published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2005 prompts the best practices of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) deemed desirable by the organisation.

The Sourcebook lists four “factors could be taken into account in judging whether a PSB system is playing the role it is expected to perform”. In summary, they are:

• Universality: Public broadcasting must be accessible to every citizen throughout the country. This is a deeply egalitarian and democratic goal to the extent that it puts all citizens on the same footing, whatever their social status or income.
• Diversity: The diversity of genres of programmes, the audiences targeted, and the subjects discussed. Reflect the whole range of current issues in society
• Independence: Public broadcasting is a forum where ideas should be expressed freely, where information, opinions and criticisms can circulate, allowing the freedom of public broadcasting to be maintained against commercial or political influence.
• Distinctiveness: Services offered must be distinguished from that of other broadcasting services.

The Sourcebook further outlines the International Federation of Journalists’ call on political parties and national parliaments across Europe to adopt a Manifesto of Public Service Values for broadcasting that reaffirms:

• Access for all, to a range of high quality programmes, providing impartial news and information, and programmes free from political and commercial pressures;
• Ownership in public hands, and management that is financially transparent and accountable to the public;
• Fairness at work, social justice and rights protection for journalists, and all who work in the industry.

Based on the principles and values outlined in the UNESCO’s Sourcebook on Best Practices of PSB, the New Macau Association demands that:

1. The TDM undergoes an open recruitment process for its new executives and new head. All candidates shall meet with the TDM staff, journalists in the industry and the citizens to make the candidates’ visions be heard.
2. Concerning the three open letters by members of staff of TDM, the authority shall:
3. Prevent any further self-imposed censorship in the TDM newsroom;
4. Come clean to the public about the accusations; investigate the claims written in the letters; and replace those have imposed self-censorship or have violated press freedom.
5. Measures shall be taken to make the public broadcasting service provider TDM accountable to the public:
6. A statutory Charter of the TDM shall be established to ensure press freedom, independence, professionalism, and accountability.
7. Public hearings shall be held annually with the TDM staff, journalists in the industry, and the citizens. The Board of the TDM shall be responsive to the questions raised by all stakeholders.
8. To be financially transparent, the TDM’s incomes and expenses shall be made available to the public annually.