Public service broadcasters on ‘front line’ in fight against populism

Fake news, hate speech, and threats to freedom of expression mean that European media organisations and the Council of Europe are facing similar challenges, a conference in Dublin was told Friday.

Public service broadcasters are on “the front line” in the fight against populism and the danger it poses to human rights in Europe, an assembly of the European Broadcasters Association (EBA) was told.

Political populism can create an environment where journalists are intimidated and engage in self-censorship, the secretary general of the Council of Europe said.

The council and its 47 member states have binding obligations to uphold democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, despite the challenges the continent is facing, Thorbjørn Jagland told the EBA assembly in the Mansion House.

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“The challenges we face are dynamic and fast-evolving, but solutions are to be found in the consistency of our values, and their application by our member states,” he told the assembly of public service media outlets.

He cited events in Turkey and Ukraine, the refugee and migrant crisis and confronting terrorism when discussing these challenges.

Mismanaged, these challenges could create a context in which populism can take root, as can be seen in some parts of Europe.

Mr Jagland defined populism as an emotional appeal that harnessed grievance against the establishment.

“Its leaders claim moral authority to act on behalf of the people, thereby delegitimising any opposition, institution or dissenting voice,” he said.

A report commissioned by the council has found that European journalists are being threatened, have experienced physical assault, judicial intimidation, and other forms of intimidation, on a significant scale.

“Understandably, if regrettably, this leads to cases of self-censorship where journalists tone down, alter, or abandon a story in order to suit the line of those intimidating them. And this in turn leads to diminished debate and loss of dissenting voices.”

Whether it be authority directly closing down media outlets, as in Turkey, or creating an environment in which they wither, “populism is the enemy of freedom of expression”.

Populism is also giving rise to new problems, chief among them being “fake news and hate speech”. While propaganda, and misleading and inaccurate news have always existed, the mass dissemination of fake news through the internet and social media is a new manifestation of an age-old problem, he said.

Fake news about migrants and refugees can turn innocent citizens into innocent victims and fake news about candidates and parties can move votes and effect outcomes on false pretences. “These things matter.”

But it would be wrong to go down the road of state censorship. Instead practical steps must be taken to stem the flow of fake news and create the skills so that people can spot fake news when confronted with it.

“Big media organisations should take the steps they can to weed out misinformation,” he told the assembly.

Saying things that were not true was not illegal, but hate speech was. Internet providers and social network companies were obliged to remove hate speech and are increasingly doing so. There were also more prosecutions by the authorities, he said.

Public service broadcasters were also an important part of the solution. Given adequate resources, it was these news outlets that have the motive and the means to deliver accurate and impartial information.

“We are engaged in a battle against populism and the threat it poses to human rights here in Europe - and you are on the front line,” he told the assembly.