Civil Commission of Media Ethics
A group of below signed people has appointed the Civil Commission of Media Ethics on 11 January 2012. The commission appeared from the initiative of the Independent Media Federation. It is our reaction to the general indifference towards the idea of work for the public welfare in media, both among journalists and institutions which direct mass media.
Media, and especially television and radio stations of the so-called ‘main trend’ have mostly become, in our opinion, sub-executor of tasks imposed by various interests groups. The direct reason for the immediate creating of the Civil Commission of Media Ethics became media manipulations connected with the celebrations of the Independence Day on 11 November 2011.
At this occasion, the dominating in media organized de-informative action and spreading lies by leading opinion-creating broadcasters revealed what dangerous direction mass media in Poland are going to.
The Civil Commission of Media Ethics sets the following aims and tasks:
– Counteracting the breach of rules of the journalistic profession
– Denouncement of manipulation
– Defence of the unfairly treated journalists who had courage to oppose pressure thrown on them and which imposed the breach of ethics rules on them
– Stigmatization of unworthy behaviours in media
– Monitoring of applying to the freedom of speech in Poland
We think that restoration a good name to the Polish media and journalism requires radical actions, including a reliable ethical evaluation of what we observe today in this sphere of public life.
We have taken it up according to the rule of civil disobedience towards hypocrisy and manipulation by the majority of Polish media. It is clearly seen that citizens must take public matters in their hands. Only this can stop the downfall which we are dealing with in Poland today. We will do everything in order to fulfil tasks given to us.
1. Teresa Bochwic, a journalist, delegate of ZG SDP
2. Tomasz Bieszczad, a journalist
3. Anna t. Pietraszek, a director of TV
4. Fr. Roman Piwowarczyk, a philosopher
5. Ewa Stankiewicz, a film director
6. Jan Żaryn, a historian
Warsaw, 11 January 2012
(AA)
"Niedziela" 04/2012