Comhlamh makes a submission to the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland’s consultation on a new Code of Programming Standards

Comhlamh, Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, Code of Programming Standards (pdf)

Earlier this week, as RTE’s Prime Time programme broadcast a special on Irish hospitals its spokesperson on Morning Ireland emphasised their efforts to protect the privacy of hospital users. Any patients recognisable in the footage had given active consent. Digital ‘pixelisation’ had been used to ensure that other people were not recognisable.

This is very good practice. However, somehow very few people in the Irish media think that they should afford similar protection to the privacy of patients in Africa’s hospitals.

But they ought to have the same standard for the protrayal of Africans as they have for the Irish public.

The BCI this week concluded its consultation on its new Code of Broadcasting Standards. At Comhlámh (The Irish Association of Development Workers) we made a submission seeking similar regard for how people in developing countries are portrayed in the Irish media.

Below I have pasted the full text of our submission. The numbering corresponds to the BCI discussion document.

Conall

A Chara,

Thank you for the opportunity to make an input to the current consultation on the Code of Programme Standards being prepared by the BCI.

As the Irish Association of Development Workers, Comhlámh has particular interest in the portrayal of developing countries and people from developing countries in the media.

Much academic study has been undertaken into the ways in which people from developing countries are portrayed in the European media for both entertainment purposes and for fundraising to support aid work. In addition, considerable energy has been spent by practitioners, including Comhlámh members, in seeking to raise the standards by which NGOs, the media and state actors portray people from developing countries. Comhlámh has for many years been active in this area. We enclose with this letter a copy of the Comhlámh productions on this theme “Challenging Perspectives: the Majority World on Irish Television” (1997) and “Images and Impact” (1998).

There has been a European NGO Code of Conduct on ‘Images and Messages’ in place since 1989 - to which most Irish aid agencies are committed. Dóchas, the Irish development NGO umbrella body is currently leading its revision on behalf of the European platform.

This CONCORD code binds NGOs to:

“ensuring that the methods applied and the messages sent out by the NGOs, its partners and its sponsors do not present an image of dependency or ‘hand-outs”

NGOs should avoid the following:

• Images which generalise and mask the diversity of situations
• Idyllic images (which do not reflect reality, albeit unpleasant), or ‘adventure’ or exotic images
• Images which fuel prejudice
• Images which foster a sense of Northern superiority
• Apocalyptic or pathetic images

Unfortunately, not all NGOs are committed to this, some who are committed fail to implement it, and the Code does not have a means of enforcement. Comhlámh hereby submits to the BCI that its code of standards should include measures related to the portrayal of people in developing countries in both programming and advertising in the broadcast media which BCI regulates.

If BCI would like Comhlámh to clarify or elaborate on any of the above points we would be more than happy to do so.

Please find attached Annex 1 which details Comhlamh’s views and additional suggestions on the rules proposed by the BCI.

Yours sincerely,

Anne Molloy
Comhlámh Co-ordinator

Annex 1 (Numbering below corresponds to BCI document)

Portrayal of persons:

1. This section of the BCI note specifies that discrimination is not acceptable on nine criteria. These are the nine areas which are illegal under current equality legislation in employment and service provision. But broadcasting is about more than employment and service provision, and discrimination is more broad. BCI’s guidelines should cover areas such as discrimination against people on the basis of their socio-economic or political status, their beliefs (broader than religion – e.g. political beliefs), dependence upon aid or refuge, medical status, etc. For instance, while it may not be illegal to discriminate based on someone’s HIV status this does not infer that it is appropiate or fair to do so.

3. The Code should specify that an unwarranted correlation should never be made between a criminal act and the ethnicity, origin, gender, age of a person, or their immigration status. Current journalistic practice frequently provides details about offenders in a manner which does not serve any public interest, yet which reinforces prejudice against certain groups.

Additional criteria:

A. Proper regard should be paid to the dignity of people in need, be they in Ireland or overseas. For example, footage of a person who is naked or in such a state of ill health that they cannot swot flies from their face is an undignified portrayal of that person. Whether in factual programming or broadcast material that is intended for the purposes of raising funds for relief of suffering, broadcasters must ensure that messages are not alarmist, simplistic, or related in a manner which may offend the dignity of the persons portrayed. Much coverage of development issues in factual programming and advertising portrays white Western heros rescuing seemingly pathetic helpless black African people. In reality, most aid and development work is carried out by people from the affected countries with only limited inputs from the West. The two Comhlámh books enclosed provide both bad and good examples of this. The need to raise funds does not justify portraying people in developing countries in a degrading manner.

B. BCI criteria should explicitly state that the use of the stereotypical ‘starving black baby’ image – which ultimately leads to compassion fatigue amongst the public – should be consistently avoided.

Factual Programming:

2. As specified above, currently discrimination is only illegal on the limited nine basis, and only in relation to employment and service provision. But it is still discrimination when based for example on political belief or membership of a political party. The BCI criteria should include ‘other areas likely to reinforce discrimination against vulnerable individuals or groups’.

3. It should be specified in item 3 that such respect for the dead applies whether the dead persons are in Ireland or abroad, including in developing countries.

Additional Criteria:

C. Consent of needy persons portrayed should be documented by the broadcaster. Where a person is shown in a vulnerable state it is particularly important that there be a combination of strong public interest, and consent of the individual. Programme producers commonly exercise good practice in this regard when covering issues in Ireland. However, when portraying developing countries the same level of good practice is not commonly exercised.

D. Particular care should also be taken not to feature anyone who’s life may be threatened or endangered by identifying or featuring them (for example, persons in refugee camps who may be fleeing from persecution).

Children’s Programming

Additional Criteria:

E: Where reasonably possible, parental consent should be documented by the broadcaster where children are portrayed in a manner where they are identifiable or in need, be those children based in Ireland or overseas. A double standard is practiced by some broadcasters in ensuring parental consent in Ireland, but not when they portray children in developing countries. The same critera which are considered good practice in the portrayal of children in Ireland should apply when covering issues related to or depicting children in developing countries.

Definition of Public Interest

F. The BCI Code needs to define its understanding of ‘public interest’. ‘Public interest’ should refer not only to the listening/viewing public here in Ireland but also to the ‘public’ portrayed or profiled in the programme. Portrayal of persons in developing countries should serve the public interests of their societies.

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