The Right to Inform and be Informed Everyone has the right ... to seek, receive and im- part information and ideas through any media. Universal Declaration of Human Rights Over the last decade, there has been, among the media, the ministries of information and in the United Nations confer- ences, especially those of UNESCO, an increasingly heated and often acrimonious debate on what is now called the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO). The debate is of interest to all of us because what is at stake critically affects and shapes our daily lives and our futures. Participation in the debate should, therefore, be much wider than it is today, indeed open to all concerned, that is to all citizens. This issue of DEVELOPMENTDIALOGUE has been con- ceived as a contribution to this task. The Dag Hammarskjold Foundation, alone or with a number of sister institutions, has been active in the field of communica- tions for almost ten years. The time has now come to take stock, to map out what needs to be done and to state or restate a number of principles and values which are necessary to give content to the right 'to seek, receive and impart information' as it is laid down in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Maldevelopment pervades societies, North and South, East and West alike. Another Development is required everywhere and by all. It is people-centred, geared to the satisfaction of human needs-both material and, in the broadest sense, political; it is self-reliant, endogenous, ecologically sound, and based on democratic, political, social and economic structural transfor- mations which alone will make possible the attainment of the other goals. Another Development also encompasses the search for so- cieties overcoming discrimination of any kind-be they social, sexual, ethnic or economic. It is a participatory and pluralistic process. To communicate is a uniquely human quality and a funda- mental human need. It is a crucially important part of the approach to Another Development-that is to a genuine democ- racy-both as a goal and as a means. It helps to define socially the other needs and to devise strategies to meet them. It is rooted in the culture of each society. 2 Editorial The struggle for a fuller exercise of the right to inform and to be informed-the right to communicate-requires that the val- ues and principles which guide it be made explicit. They may be articulated in the following points: Pluralism. The principle of the 'free flow of information' is meaningless, in a social and democratic sense, if it is not based on the concrete exercise of the right of everyone to receive and impart information. This implies that the means to communi- cate-be they editorial, technical or financial in nature-should be available to all sectors of society, and that no particular group, whatever its values or constituency, should be in a position to control a predominant share of the flow. Pluralism in the flow of information should result in the full respect for and interplay of human differences. Direct flows. Societies and their constituent elements-the go- vernmental sector, the business sector and the popular sector with its many and diverse associations-should be able to communicate directly with each other without external control. This applies first of all to the Third World, in which direct South-South flows should be developed as a matter of urgency. But it is also valid for the South-North flows, since it enables the South to communicate directly with the North. Social function. Information is an element of the autonomous power of the people. It is neither a commodity nor propaganda. Communications should not be controlled by the power struc- ture, be it that of the market or of the state. This does not mean that it is illegitimate for the governmental and business sectors to impart information, but that the interests of society at large must always prevail. There should be no unheard voices. The associations and individuals constituting the Third System* should be the prime beneficiaries of the realization of the prin- ciples of pluralism and direct flows. Those who have the power to inform must be held accountable for its use to society and, in particular, to those affected by such information. Another information. Factual reporting of events is important. Reporting and analysing their context and the underlying struc- The Right to Inform and be Informed 3 tures and processes which give rise to the events reported is equally important and should be further developed. Moreover, information is also education in its broadest sense, that is con- sciousness raising. It should contribute to reducing ignorance and preconceptions. The image of 'the Other' should reach each of us, stripped of ethnocentric biases. It should serve a genuine cooperation between societies in their cultural diversity. Another information should enhance the capacity of societies and individuals to control their own destinies and contribute to peace. Communication versus information. The right to inform and to be informed implies that the vertical dispensation of knowledge to passive receivers by those who have access to it should give way to a mutually beneficial exchange through horizontal inter- actions, each party being at the same time a provider and a receiver of information. This is communication in the proper sense of the term. Communication should therefore be depro- fessionalized to the largest extent possible. All those who feel the need to express themselves should be able to do so without unnecessary intermediation. Those who will continue to dis- charge specialized functions should become aware of this social requirement and their own learning process should reflect this need. Appropriate use of the new technologies. New communication technologies are both a risk and an opportunity. Those re- quiring heavy investment should be brought under social con- * The Third System has been defined as those organizations and agents of change which endeavour to listen to people and reflect their views. These were said to constitute the Third System, not just by analogy with the Third World. The state (first system) and the market (second system) are the two main sources of the power exercised over people. But people have an auk - nomous power, legitimately theirs. The Third System is that part of the peop which is reaching a critical consciousness of their role. It is not a party nor organization; it constitutes a movement of those-free associations, citizen and militants-who perceive that the essence of history is the endless struggl by which people try to master their destiny (see Building Blocks for Alterna five Development Strategies, IFDA Dossier 17, May 1980; reprinted in Deve- lopment Dialogue 1981: 1, pp. 68- 101). 4 Editorial trol so that they do not strengthen further the centres of power. Those which are financially accessible to associations and indi- viduals should be used in an appropriate manner. Both should promote richer and more diverse communication. As already noted, the debate about the New World Information and Communication Order has been a lively and often bitter one. In the course of this debate, there has been a change in the perspective from which these issues are viewed and in the emphasis given to the different components in the new order. These changes may be summarized in the following way. From initially focussing on the problems posed by the domi- nance of the news flows from a few transnational news agen- cies, the debate has developed to consider the role of the communications structures in their entirety and their social implications. Among the new subjects that have come to be the principal objects of analysis are the following: the societal im- pact of the revolutionary changes under way in communication technology, the increasing role and influence of advertising, the social functions and responsibilities of professional communica- tors, the interaction between culture and communication, and the increasing concentration of the control over the media exer- cised by private or public organizations. The issues raised above and the need for change implied by them cannot be analysed or dealt with exclusively at the inter- national level since they all have a national dimension. The analysis and questioning of national policies and institutions is an inseparable component of the efforts to achieve real structural changes in the global communications system. The approach described here goes beyond the problems posed by the North-South relationship and extends into the national and regional problems not only of the South but also of the North. This is exemplified by the current debate in many countries concerning, inter alia, direct satellite transmission, 'free ra- dios', the implications for social life of home computer termi- nals, the access of different social groups to publicly controlled media, the protection of the privacy of the individual and other issues related to the transborder data flows. The Right to Inform and be Informed 5 The demand for change at the national and international levels can be summarized in a few words as a demand for 'the democratization of communication structures'. There is a grow- ing frustration being voiced by people all over the world: 'We have no access to media'; 'They do not represent us'; 'They are only defending their own interests'. Although the level of popu- lar consciousness and the intensity of the criticisms vary from country to country, the demand for the democratization of communications is a truly world-wide social phenomenon. As already emphasized, there is a legitimate and essential space in the new information and communication order enabling the people to express themselves autonomously as individuals and through their associations.