24/06/2015 Session
In a rapidly changing media environment, the Assembly has urged the media to establish corporate codes of ethics and ombudspersons as well as mechanisms for complaints or other reactions by their readers, listeners or viewers regarding compliance with those codes. The adoption of codes of ethics by journalists and media outlets enables them to guarantee the quality of their work, correct their mistakes and be accountable to the public, said the parliamentarians.
In a resolution unanimously adopted on the basis of a report by Volodymyr Ariev (Ukraine, EPP/CD), PACE came out in favour of self-regulation by the media, “a means of reducing influence by the State and other sectors of society over media content”, which can also facilitate out-of-court settlement of disputes over content.
The Assembly also asked the member States to move towards decriminalising defamation, while combating racist discourse and hate speech.