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  People's Communication Charter

        Across the world people face pervasive forms of censorship,
distorted and misleading
        information, stereotyped images of gender and race, restricted
access to knowledge, and
        insufficient channels to communicate their ideas and opinions. The
People's
        Communication Charter is a first step in the development of a
permanent movement
        concerned with the quality of our communication environment. The
initiators of the PCC
        think it is time for individual citizens and their organisations to
take an active role in the
        shaping of the cultural environment and to focus on the production
and distribution of
        information and culture.

        The People's Communication Charter provides the common framework
for all those who
        share the belief that people should be active and critical
participants in their social
        reality and should be able to communicate their ideas and opinions.
The Charter is not an
        end in itself. It provides the basis for a permanent critical
reflection on those world-wide
        trends that determine the quality of our lives in the third
millennium. The PCC movement
        mobilizes support for the Charter by initiating a process of
ratification by individuals
        and social movements. Moreover an intensive exchange of opinions on
the concrete PCC
        text and implementation of the Charter's provisions is needed which
is possible via this
        PCC site.

        PCC, p/a Society for Old and New Media, Nieuwmarkt 4, 1012 CR
Amsterdam, phone: +31 20
        5579898, fax: +31 20 5579880, pccmaster@waag.org


  People's Communication Charter

  We, the Signatories of this Charter, recognize that:

  Communication is basic to the life of all individuals and their
communities. All people are
  entitled to participate in communication, and in making decisions about
communication
  within and between societies. The majority of the world's peoples lack minimal
  technological resources for survival and communication. Over half of them
have not yet
  made a single telephone call. Commercialization of media and
concentration of media
  ownership erode the public sphere and fail to provide for cultural and
information needs,
  including the plurality of opinions and the diversity of cultural
expressions and languages
  necessary for democracy. Massive and pervasive media violence polarizes
societies,
  exacerbates conflict, and cultivates fear and mistrust, making people
vulnerable and
  dependent. Stereotypical portrayals misrepresent all of us and stigmatize
those who are
  the most vulnerable. Therefore, we ratify this Charter defining
communication rights and
  responsibilities to be observed in democratic countries and in
international law.






  Article 1. Respect.

         All people are entitled to be treated with respect, according to
the basic
         human rights standards of dignity, integrity, identity, and non-
         discrimination.

  Article 2. Freedom.

         All people have the right of access to communication channels
         independent of governmental or commercial control.

  Article 3. Access.

         In order to exercise their rights, people should have fair and
equitable
         access to local and global resources and facilities for
conventional and
         advanced channels of communication; to receive opinions, information
         and ideas in a language they normally use and understand; to receive a
         range of cultural products designed for a wide variety of tastes and
         interests; and to have easy access to facts about ownership of
media and
         sources of information. Restrictions on access to information should be
         permissible only for good and compelling reason, as when prescribed by
         international human rights standards or necessary for the protection of
         a democratic society or the basic rights of others.

  Article 4. Independence.

         The realization of people's right to participate in, contribute to and
         benefit from the development of self-reliant communication structures
         requires international assistance to the development of independent
         media; training programmes for professional mediaworkers; the
         establishment of independent, representative associations,
syndicates or
         trade unions of journalists and associations of editors and publishers;
         and the adoption of international standards.

  Article 5. Literacy.

         All people have the right to acquire information and skills
necessary to
         participate fully in public deliberation and communication. This
         requires facility in reading, writing, and storytelling; critical media
         awareness; computer literacy; and education about the role of
         communication in society .

  Article 6. Protection of journalists.

         Journalists must be accorded full protection of the law, including
         international humanitarian law , especially in areas of armed conflict.
         They must have safe, unrestricted access to sources of information, and
         must be able to seek remedy, when required, through an international
         body.

  Article 7. Right of reply and redress.

         All people have the right of reply and to demand penalties for damage
         from media misinformation. Individuals concerned should have an
         opportunity to correct, without undue delay, statements relating
to them
         which they have a justified interest in having corrected. Such
         corrections should be given the same prominence as the original
         expression. States should impose penalties for proven damage, or
         require corrections, where a court of law has determined that an
         information provider has wilfully disseminated inaccurate or misleading
         and damaging information, or has facilitated the dissemination of such
         information.

  Article 8. Cultural identity.

         All people have the right to protect their cultural identity. This
includes
         the respect for people's pursuit of their cultural development and the
         right to free expression in languages they understand. People' s
right to
         the protection of their cultural space and heritage should not violate
         other human rights or provisions of this Charter.

  Article 9. Diversity of Languages.

         All people have the right to a diversity of languages. This
includes the
         right to express themselves and have access to information in their own
         language, the right to use their own languages in educational
institutions
         funded by the state, and the right to have adequate provisions
created for
         the use of minority languages where needed.

  Article 10. Participation in policy making.

         All people have the right to participate in public decision-making
about
         the provision of information; the development and utilization of
         knowledge; the preservation, protection and development of culture; the
         choice and application of communication technologies; and the structure
         and policies of media industries.












  Article 11. Children's Rights.

         Children have the right to mass media products that are designed
to meet
         their needs and interests and foster their healthy physical, mental and
         emotional development.. They should be protected from harmful media
         products and from commercial and other exploitation at home, in school
         and at places of play, work, or business. Nations should take steps to
         produce and distribute widely high quality cultural and entertainment
         materials created for children in their own languages.

  Article 12. Cyberspace.

         All people have a right to universal access to and equitable use of
         cyberspace. Their rights to free and open communities in cyberspace,
         their freedom of electronic expression, and their freedom from
         electronic surveiilance and intrusion, should be protected.

  Article 13. Privacy.

         All people have the right to be protected from the publication of
         allegations irrelevant to the public interest, or of private
photographs
         or other private communication without authorization, or of personal
         information given or received in confidence. Databases derived from
         personal or workplace communications or transactions should not be
         used for unauthorized commercial or general surveillance purposes.
         However, nations should take care that the protection of privacy
does not
         unduly interfere with the freedom of expression or the
administration of
         justice.

  Article 14. Harm.

         People have the right to demand that media actively counter incitement
         to hate, prejudice, violence, and war. Violence should not be
presented as
         normal, "manly", or entertaining, and true consequences of and
         alternatives to violence should be shown. Other violations of human
         dignity and integrity to be avoided include stereotypic images
that distort
         the realities and complexities of people's lives. Media should not
         ridicule, stigmatize, or demonize people on the basis of gender, race,
         class, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and physical or mental
         condition.

  Article 15. Justice.

         People have the right to demand that media respect standards of due
         process in the coverage of trials. This implies that the media
should not
         presume guilt before a verdict of guilt, invade the privacy of
defendants,
         and should not televise criminal trials in real time, while the
trial is in
         progress.

  Article 16. Consumption.

         People have the right to useful and factual consumer information and to
         be protected against misleading and distorted information. Media should
         avoid and, if necessary, expose promotion disguised as news and
         entertainment (infomercials, product placement, children's
         programmes that use franchised characters and toys, etc), and the
         creation of wasteful, unnecessary, harmful or ecologically damaging
         needs, wants, products and activities. Advertising directed at children
         should receive special scrutiny.

  Article 17. Accountability.

         People have the right to hold media accountable to the general
public and
         their adherence to the standards established in this Charter. For that
         purpose, media should establish mechanisms, including self- regulatory
         bodies, that monitor and account for measures taken to achieve
         compliance.

  Article 18. Implementation.

         In consultation with the Signatories, national and international
         mechanisms will be organized to publicize this Charter; to implement it
         in as many countries as possible and in international law; monitor and
         assess the performance of countries and media in light of these
         Standards; receive complaints about violations; advise on adequate
         remedial measures; and to establish procedures for periodic review,
         development and modification of this Charter. Literature Annex

                                 LITERATURE

                                   ANNEXE

    PCC, p/a Society for Old and New Media, Nieuwmarkt 4, 1012 CR
Amsterdam, phone:
            +31 20 5579898, fax: +31 20 5579880 pccmaster@waag.org













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