High level dialogue. Securing cyberspace in a borderless world: vision 2015 and beyond

The value of protection of minors is deeply rooted in the DNA of broadcasters, especially public broadcasters. It is a complex issue and it has become even more complex during the last, let’s say 15 years.

Traditionally the programme schedulers define the time for children between 7 AM and 8 PM. During these hours everything that could eventually be problematic for children under 12-14 years will be declared with a special visual or acoustic signal.

Almost all public broadcasters have dedicated programmes for schools to educate children with regard to media literacy. And of course by reporting the negative consequences of posting everything on Facebook the media play a crucial role to increase the awareness of the audience for all related issues with regard also to cyber security. It is the traditional role and obligation of the media to inform and educate.

But of course the situation is much more complicated than this. Let me illustrate this with a couple of my own experiences.

Example: 9/11, breaking news. Breaking actually the children’s programme. Consequence: Children’s programme was permanently moved to second channel not be interrupted anymore.

Of course the media have to report major developments in the world. The audience expects and needs to obtain relevant information about what is happening in the world.

And journalists have a responsibility to report without fear of favour. But when it comes to reports about extreme violence, there are limits and dilemmas. No newsroom wants to be the instrument of terrorists, disseminating fear and raising anger.

On the other hand, the information will be out there anyway.

Good journalists will verify the information, check the sources, bring the news into context. The anchor will announce the news item with a special introduction if there are shocking scenes. And they will not trespass a red line in reporting about the event.

Pornographic videos, Source: Advertisement in Teletext (but could also have been seen in newspapers): Obligation of media not to promote hardcore pornographic content. Consequence: so called “pink adverts” have been removed from Teletext. 

But with the internet, control has of course become much more difficult and the role of parents much more important. Of course linear scheduling is already history. And nobody knows this better than the children themselves.

At the end of April there was a debate going on about Facebook. Somebody had posted a cruel and violent video showing a man cutting off the head of a woman to punish her. This video was widely discussed in newspapers and their online forums. Facebook was asked to take it off immediately, but they initially replied that did not want to do this, since this video is part of reality, and they wanted to show this as well. Of course after a couple of days and increasing protests they finally removed it.

No media outlet – at least in Europe – would have dared to show such a video. It would have been against the national law, but would also have been a violation of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive at EU level.

Member States are obliged to ensure that no audiovisual media service contains hatred based on race, sex religion or nationality. The protection of minors is of special concern. Member states shall ensure that on-demand services which might impair the physical, mental of moral development of minors are not available to them.

Facebook, Google and YouTube are not subject to these regulations at EU level. This is not right, in my view, and illustrates that the definition of media needs to be reviewed and adapted to the new world. These operators are not just technical intermediaries. The line between technical intermediaries and editorial decisions, even if taken by algorithms, is blurred. And – as we know – they have become channel operators as well.

I guess we all agree on certain principles:

One should not steal

One should not harm others

And this includes: One should not show gratuitous sex and violence

These moral principles are reflected in all national policies on Civil Law. The question for the regulator, especially for global companies, is how to enforce them while also respecting cultural differences and diversity in the world.

The moral framework applies today in Europe for the traditional media and especially the public media because of the specific role they play for culture, societies and democracies.

Ideally we would be able to develop a global solution. This might be idealistic. Therefore let’s start at least at the EU level. The Audiovisual Media Services Directive will likely be reviewed in the coming years. I believe that the responsibilities of the new actors should be addressed, in particular with regard to the protection of minors.

The definition of ‘media’ needs to be adapted to the new convergent world. The common principles we all agree on should be applied on a broader scale if we really care about minors and the important values of societies.