Brussels Declaration

PMA joins public media and international organisations to call for journalist safety and media freedom

Today, public service media companies and international organisations have signed the Brussels Declaration, a statement for journalist safety drafted on the initiative of CBC/Radio Canada, VRT and RTBF. Violence against and intimidation of journalists and other media staff is increasing, hence this call for a halt to this dangerous evolution. ‘Freedom of the press is a universal human right. We must unite to protect it.’

2020 and 2021 will be remembered as violent years for media. According to research conducted by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (supported by the European Commission), more than 900 attacks on journalists were perpetrated in Europe in 2020. Alarmingly, several countries were even confronted with the assassination of journalists.

Therefore, VRT and RTBF decided to dedicate the annual conference of Public Broadcasters International (PBI), which they co-organise in Brussels, to the role of public service media in democratic systems. The conference will lay the emphasis on the Brussels Declaration.

The Brussels Declaration is in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It endorses the right to a democratic society with a free and secure press and media. All signatories to the Brussels Declaration commit themselves to adhering to 5 important principles, to actively promoting and implementing them. These are the 5 principles:

We improve the safety of journalists and other media staff
We stand up for the independence of public broadcasters
We encourage well-informed democratic debate
We support a strong and diverse news media landscape
We promote diversity, fairness and inclusion within our own organisation and in the society we serve

Věra Jourová, European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency: ‘The pandemic has showed more than ever that information is a public good. It has also showed the need to do more to protect those who inform us. Two weeks ago the European Commission presented, for the first time ever, recommendations to Member States to improve the safety of journalists. Today public broadcasters make a series of commitments to better protect journalists. This is a very important and welcome step. By working together we can change the situation on the ground. Public broadcasters have a special role to play and I am pleased that they are ready to play this role.’

Frederik Delaplace, CEO of the VRT: ‘Freedom of opinion entails the freedom to form that opinion based on independent and reliable information. Whoever threatens the press is undermining that vital source of reliable information. In recent years we have been alarmed by attacks on the press. Those attacks were often verbal, but some were physical as well. That is enough to give us all the shudders. Being a reliable source of information is a core task of public broadcasters, such as the VRT. That reliability is put at jeopardy when our journalists and employees are being threatened. We must not let that happen. We must take action to protect our press and that’s exactly why the VRT, together with RTBF and CBC, is taking the lead in creating this Brussels Declaration.’

Jean-Paul Philippot, Administrator General of the RTBF: “The issue of the safety of our journalists and technical staff in the exercise of their work shows the key role they play in making our society a place of autonomy and choice. Threatening them verbally, or worse, physically, is the same as directly endangering the freedom of thought of each one of us. It is essential for public service media to remain independent to ensure pluralistic information and the widest diversity of opinions. The latest events should remind us that being able to have certified and verified information is at the heart of our democratic society, and anything that weakens the press puts it at risk.“

Catherine Tait, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada: ‘The rise of online abuse targeting journalists, especially women and racialized journalists, is an urgent issue that requires our urgent attention. With our colleagues at RTBF and VRT, we’re launching the Brussels Declaration and calling on our peers in news and allies around the world to join us. Journalism is vital to democracy, and journalists and media professionals must be able to do their work without these unconscionable attempts to silence them.’

You can read the full text of the declaration here.

What is Public Broadcasters International?

Since 1990, delegations from public broadcasters from all over the world have met annually at the Public Broadcasters International conference to exchange experiences and knowledge. Brussels was to be the host city of the PBI conference on 30 September 2021. As a result of the corona measures, it could not take place live but was instead held as a video conference.

The Brussels Decalaration is already signed by:

Radio-Télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF) – BEL
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) – BEL
Radio-Canada – CAN
CBC/Radio-Canada – CAN
France Télévisions – FRA
Radio France – FRA
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) – GBR
Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO) – NLD
European Broadcasting Union (EBU) – INT ORG
Public Media Alliance (PMA) – INT ORG
Les Médias Francophones Publics – INT ORG
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) – DEU
Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD) – DEU
International Federation of Journalists – INT ORG
European Federation of Journalists – INT ORG
Knowledge Network Corporation – INT ORG
Die Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft (SRG SSR) – CHE
Médias multiplateforme éducatif et culturel du Québec – CAN
Sveriges Utbildningsradio – SWE
France Médias Monde – FRA
Yleisradio – FIN
Sveriges Television (SVT) – SWE
Asia – Pacific Broadcasting Organisation – INT ORG
Lituanian National Television and Radio – LTU
TV5 Québec Canada – CAN
TV5MONDE – FRA/INT ORG
Televisión América Latina (TAL, Union of Latinamerican Public, Educational and Cutlural Broadcasters) – INT ORG
Sindicato Nacional de Periodistas de Costa Rica – CRI
Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) – KOR
Radio New Zealand (RNZ) – NZL
Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS) – CHE
Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina – BIH
Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) – AUT
Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) – PRT
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) – JPN
Australian Broadcasting Corporation – AUS