This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.
The media environment of modern society is changing rapidly.
The changes are bringing undisputable benefits for the public: a
wide range of sources as alternatives to the mass media; instantaneous
global circulation of information; and unprecedented access to cultural,
historical, political and technical knowledge.
At the same time, the rapid development of the media environment
is generating new risks and excesses such as fake news and hate
speech. These trends are also affecting the news media, which sometimes
sacrifice their quality and integrity under the pressure of increased
competition. The public seem to be losing confidence in the traditional
media (newspapers, magazines, radio, generalist and specialised
television channels) and are turning instead towards social media,
blogs and websites of an often questionable nature that disseminate unreliable
information.
Given these challenges, the Parliamentary Assembly should
encourage member States to take action in two key directions and
support properly targeted training programmes:
firstly, it is necessary to
step up training for journalists: apart from techniques and craftsmanship, professional
ethics and responsibility should be a priority for journalists in
their work;
secondly, it is also necessary to find appropriate ways
to raise awareness among members of society, and among young people
in particular, regarding challenges and risks brought by the new
media environment, so as to increase their ability to distinguish
information from opinion and objective facts from propaganda or
fake news; to make them conscious of possible manipulation, disinformation
or hate speech; and to immunise them against indoctrination and
radicalisation.
