Ottawa Declaration: International public broadcasters join Public Media Alliance, Global Task Force for public media, and CBC/Radio-Canada in fighting disinformation

The Declaration calls on public media worldwide to ensure accessibility to news, use AI responsibly for public good, look to social media platforms for increased accountability, and restore civil democratic debate.

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 9, 2024 /CNW/ - Members of the international public service media community, including the Public Media Alliance and the Global Task Force for public media, today announced their support for the Ottawa Declaration, an initiative to fight disinformation presented by CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada's national public broadcaster, at the 2024 Public Broadcasters International conference (PBI Ottawa 2024).

Around the globe, access to trustworthy information is threatened, due in part to the shutdown of local news outlets, the reduced discoverability of public media news content online, and the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation.

Signatories to the Ottawa Declaration have pledged to serve their citizens by fulfilling the following commitments:

1. Ensure wide access to news for all citizens — providing accurate and impartial news and current affairs programming, in line with evolving technology and audiences' changing consumption habits.
2. Combat disinformation — supporting media literacy for people of all ages, in addition to fact-checking and verifying the origin of news and current affairs content.
3. Restore civil democratic debate — encouraging an informed, respectful and nuanced exchange of views on their platforms, reflecting the diversity of their audiences, and providing a broad range and depth of analysis.
4. Call for accountability from social media platforms — looking to those social media platforms that distribute news to promote the free flow of reliable news and information from public service media on fair terms, and put in place safeguards and measures to address disinformation and impostor content. 
5. Use AI for public good — establishing and complying with principles of responsible AI use, and unlocking the potential of AI through a framework that promotes transparency and fair use of our content.

"In each of our countries, disinformation continues to harm our information ecosystem and our democracies by contributing to distrust in the media. This trend is accelerating with the use of AI for the sole purpose of deceiving or misleading users. Public media are leading the way in taking action against a growing threat and in this commitment to use AI ethically. With this Ottawa Declaration, we affirm we will take concrete actions, as individual media organizations and collectively, in the interest of the publics we serve."

—Catherine Tait, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada, and Chair, Global Task Force for public media

"Public service media are cornerstones of informed democracies, globally. In an era of polarization — fuelled by misinformation and disinformation from malicious actors, disseminated through global platforms — public media's role in providing accurate, trusted and reliable news and information for all audiences, wherever they are, and however they consume news, is critical. The Public Media Alliance is proud to stand together with others, united by our shared values, in support of the Ottawa Declaration."

—Kristian Porter, CEO, Public Media Alliance

The Ottawa Declaration is the successor to the Brussels Declaration on journalist safety and media freedom, which was introduced at PBI Brussels 2021.

Read the full text of the Ottawa Declaration here.

About the Public Media Alliance

The Public Media Alliance is the largest global association of public service media organisations. We have a specific remit to support and advocate for the role and importance of these organisations – otherwise known as public service broadcasters – in society and democracy. We are a non-profit organisation funded by over fifty public media organisations, including the BBC, CBC/Radio-Canada, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and Thai PBS.

About the Global Task Force for public media

The Global Task Force for public media exists to promote and defend the values of public media – access, accuracy, accountability, creativity, impartiality, independence and high standards of journalism – all of which underpin an informed and healthy democracy.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada's trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

Media contacts:

CBC/Radio-Canada
Leon Mar
Director, Media Relations and Issues Management | Corporate Spokesperson
[email protected]

Public Media Alliance
Keiran Turner
Development and Communications Officer
[email protected]

SOURCE CBC/Radio-Canada