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“Information is the currency of democracy”
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Thomas Jefferson.
In the American ideal, open public discussion
improves our society. By including the contributions of our brightest minds,
the best solutions are found to build a better community. Civic media,
including broadcast and cable TV, print and online media, are those media
utilized to engage citizens in decisions by their governments.
Local news is the most prevalent form of civic
media, but there are many more. From the obvious political advertisement for a
candidate or ballot measure to the most obscure morning show guest appearance by
an industry or special interest lobbyist, civic media play a critical role to
inform or misinform citizens.
Commercial media outlets dominate the marketplace
of ideas, but government access media hold a very special niche. Understanding
and appreciating the context of government access in the larger media sphere,
local programmers can build support and extend the value of program offerings.
By developing your relationship with the news media, the fourth estate can help
you to brand your access services as important public resources that are
necessarily independent of traditional political subversion, like patronage or
partisan leverage.
The common ethical foundations of government
access and news media are fundamental. But to support a healthy and diverse
marketplace of ideas, it is also essential to understand the principled
functional differences between access and news. News media are imbued with
“gatekeeper” principles and embedded with private commercial interests that
introduce distinct liabilities both legal and ethical. Access media is a public
service with a different set of liabilities, our job is keep the gate open so
every citizen has a voice that can be heard. From the perspective of news
media, access media can be more like gatecrashers!
So, remember the first rule; know thy self. By
understanding the principles and ethics of government access media, local
programmers can actively position your services to maximize opportunities and
limit friction with other media players and with core constituencies, like
elected officials and citizens.
Who’s The Boss?
While the electoral process of American style
democracy places elected officials at the top of our legislative and executive
agencies, these elected officials in turn appoint officials who manage
government on the public’s behalf. Government access managers may (or may not)
be civil service employees, but the policy makers who set the agenda are
ultimately answerable to citizens and voters. Don’t forget this basic axiom or
your government access media operation will be subject to the fickle politically
charged judgments of the day. In the convoluted worlds of media and politics,
the mere perception that government access TV services are subservient to
political or private interests rather than public interests can cripple the
support base on which your operation ultimately depends.
Remember and promote the idea that effective
self-governance requires “sunshine” provisions such as open records and free
access to public information. That’s why the primary service of government
access is providing access for the public to the local government. Access for
government agencies to reach the public must be secondary. The dynamic tension
of these competing imperatives will keep life interesting for government access
media managers.
At the core of government access media services is
the public’s expectation of freedom of information and transparency of public
agencies. Your function as a reliable public record is the bedrock principle of
government access media. Official public deliberations are expected to be
recorded and transmitted freely, without censorship. This is clearly a distinct
role from that of the news media, whose duty as gatekeepers is to edit and
compose reports to ensure balanced and fair coverage.
Ethical and reliable documentation and unedited
recording of open public deliberations are the keys for creating a public record
and making local government accountable to the citizens. Editorial policies of
government access coverage – unedited, uncensored, and unbiased are absolutely
essential qualities for clean transparent access.
Common Ground
Consider the similarities of your the ethical
principles as a government access manager with two key organizations
representing news media producers and managers – Society of Professional
Journalists SPJ (http://spj.org),
and Radio & Television News Directors Association RTNDA (http://rtnda.org).
Headings from their ethical codes are listed below.
Code Of Ethics and
Professional Conduct
RADIO-TELEVISION NEWS DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION
http://rtnda.org/ethics/coe.shtml
SPJ Code of Ethics
http://www.spj.org/ethics_code.asp
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