E/CN.4/Sub.2/Ac.5/1997/WP.4
The rights of minorities
and the role of the media
I. Some preliminary considerations
1. This working paper is an attempt to present an overview of the subject and to raise points that could help in stimulating discussion of the role of the media in the promotion and protection of minority rights.
2. The review of the relatively limited material at hand has left a clear impression that promotion and protection are mutually supportive; i.e., educating the general public within a given society on the issues involved regarding minority rights could lead to greater protection; and effective protection deepens awareness and respect of such rights.
3. In some countries, questions raised are primarily concerned with measures envisaged and policies pursued or need to be adopted for the protection of minority rights, including such issues as multiculturalism versus assimilation. In others, the problems posed seem first and foremost to be those of changing the attitude towar5ds minority rights. In certain instances adherence to international instruments and observance of pertinent international declarations are hampered by apprehension that active promotion and public discussion of these issues beyond certain limits could potentially be destabilising.
4. From the standpoint of minority rights it may be somewhat arbitrary to draw a dividing line between democratic and non-democratic states. A democratic system with its freedom of information does not by itself ensure protection of minority rights since there may exist actual or latent preference for assimilation. So-called non-democratic countries may have a heritage of tolerance and acceptance of "the other" that could be build on.
5. In reflecting upon the role of the media regarding minority rights we should keep in mind the diversity of the socio-political environment in which it operates. National mass media organisations are affected by the state through policies of subsidisation, legislation and regulation. In general the role of the media is closely related to the pattern of ownership and its role may be subject to state control.
6. As a result of the introduction of modern means of propagating information
through the media, cultural changes over a certain period of time could
be detected. This new technology in this field is so intrusive within the
home; and television, particularly in countries of high percentage of illiteracy,
assumes greater importance. In countries where it is state-owned and may
be coupled with a certain reluctance to treat minority rights more openly,
the role of newspapers particularly of the opposition seem to be more promising
in promoting minority rights.
II. Extent and nature of media coverage of the issues
involved
7. The temptation to generalise carries with it the danger of pitfalls.
However, in the light of the material studied it may not be far off the
mark to observe that in most countries human rights and minority rights
are presented in the national media primarily as news items rather than
issues meriting continuous concern. On the whole, comments are intermittent
and often restrained. Commemorative occasions, such as the International
Day of Human Rights, are ceremoniously celebrated and reporting on observance
of international instruments and declarations are cursory. In many instances
nascent national or regional non-governmental organisations of human rights
have limited influence, and their activities, seminars and reports often
critical of authorities find little publicity in the national media. On
the whole, reporting on violations is selective, i.e., either ignoring
or denouncing criticism that may be levelled against a country, while the
nature of comments on other countries is habitually governed by political
considerations.
III. Ethnic minority media
8. The literature reviewed included the assessment of the experience revealed by a number of case studies analysing the effects of instituting for the benefit of ethnic minorities a media of their own. The case studies cover a variety of ethnic minorities each presenting a different set of cultural, social and economic conditions: Aborigines in Australia, Inuit in Greenland, Native Americans in the United States and Canada and Mapuches in Chile. In reflecting on the active role that could be played by the media in promoting multiculturalism it may be of interest to summarise the gist of conclusions of these case studies. The view and assessments of those scholars may not be agreed, but taken together they shed light on the promise and limits of ethnic minority media:
- All case studies are based on the assumption that ethnic minority media provides information that prevents or at least delays assimilation into the mainstream culture.
- Modern states have the primary responsibility in this field since they control access to media technology. Allocating resources or broadcasting time to ethnic minorities are not spontaneous gestures of goodwill but are decisions made according to state objectives.
- The social influence of mass media does not include a simple casual relationship. Audiences are not just passive receivers of media messages but are also active interpreters. How these messages are actually interpreted by both majority and minority audiences remain largely unclear.
- Survival of minority culture cannot depend only on the media. It also requires among others a good measure of political conviction and presupposes a certain willingness on the part of the dominant culture to accommodate cultural pluralism.
- Most of the case studies show that ethnic minority media are making a substantial contribution to the survival of minority language.
- It appears that the long effect of ethnic minority media is neither total cultural preservations nor total assimilation but some moderate degree of preservation that represents a compromise between the two extremes.
- The mere existence of ethnic minority media may have a considerable significance. It would be seen by members of the ethnic group as well as outsiders as a subtle way of denoting determination to resist assimilation.
- Ethnic minority media might be considered a significant ingredient
towards cultural survival but certainly no panacea.
IV. Some concluding remarks:
1. If views may differ in assessing the extent of the power of the media, it may be conceded that it does not substantially contribute to the shaping of public attitudes.
2. It is no exaggeration to say that in many countries the general public knows relatively little about international instruments and declarations which their own country has freely endorsed and hence accepted obligations emanating therefrom.
3. Protection of minority rights requires a supportive attitude by the majority. The National media could play a constructive role in this respect if it gives prominence to the contribution of the minority to national life rather than presenting minority issues in terms of problems they create for majority.
4. The National media by the nature of things, tends to project the culture of the majority unless there is a conscious effort not to exclude the minority culture. It could serve as a vehicles for projecting multiculturalism as an enrichment of the society.
5. There seems to be a need for devoting greater attention to the importance
of the media's role in promoting human rights, including minority rights.
Under international auspices, regular seminars and discussion groups for
national media representatives could be beneficial in this respect.