The International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest journalist's group, welcomed today the launch of an African Broadcasting Charter in South Africa, in celebration of World Press Freedom Day.
The IFJ values this initiative, which creates a valid basis for civil society engagement. The Charter is going to form the policy background against which African Broadcasting will be viewed, assessed and benchmarked. However, this document should be reviewed in five years, thus allowing further reflections. The Charter was an initiative of a number of press freedom groups and regional organisations.
"The Charter should be used to enhance dialogue", stated Aidan White, General Secretary of the IFJ. "It is certainly not a tight policy document, but constitutes a good basis for further discussions".
The IFJ particularly regrets that only limited consultations could take place with other stakeholders and interested parties outside the "representative group of African media practitioners" who developed the Charter. It calls on every contributor to get involved in a practical dialogue in order to monitor the implementation of the charter, and enhance its relevance and effectiveness
