[FoME] New website: media accountability & regulations in Africa, Asia, Europe

[Christoph Dietz]

22-10-2010 (Paris) 

UNESCO has launched the new website dedicated to Professional Journalistic Standards and Code of Ethics in Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia, and updated the existing section on Europe. This fast, flexible and free online resource provides information on media accountability and self-regulation systems, media legislation and models for setting up and managing press councils. 

The new reference tool includes information on media accountability issues and makes accessible reviews of the existing mechanisms in Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe. It also lists partners and professional networks of media accountability and self-regulation on regional level. The website is split into three thematic sections: 

=> Media Legislation and Regulations, which provides examples of general media laws and regulations at both national and international levels; 
=> Regulatory Bodies, featuring existing press councils and relevant professional networks, and presenting a brief overview of different types of media ombudsmen, including examples from countries where media councils/ombudsmen have arbitrated and adjudicated on complaints against the press; 
=> Codes of Ethics, which provides links to the codes adopted by professional organizations with examples from all project countries. 

The resource section of the website lists publications, links and contacts where one can find more relevant information on the subject. 

The Professional Journalistic Standards website is a tool, which gathers the existing information on media accountability, freely available on the Internet, in one place and provides an easy access to it. To develop this new tool, UNESCO has worked in collaboration with the Media Development Center, IFJ Asia-Pacific, AMIC and the Rhodes University. 

The website sections are accessible at: 

Professional Journalistic Standards and Code of Ethics 
www.unesco.org/webworld/en/media-accountability; 

Europe 
www.unesco.org/webworld/en/media-accountability-europe; 

Africa 
www.unesco.org/webworld/en/media-accountability-africa; 

South Asia 
www.unesco.org/webworld/en/media-accountability-southasia; 

Southeast Asia 
www.unesco.org/webworld/en/media-accountability-southeastasia