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BACKGROUND TO COMMUNIQUE
The World Association of Press Councils (WAPC), a global media organization
whose core commitments are to the freedom of the press and responsibility, and a
belief that this can be improved by the founding and enhancement of Independent
Press-Media Councils and Similar Bodies is guided by the principles set out in
Kuala Lumpur Declaration made at the WAPC First International Conference
organized in 1985 in Malaysia.
The text of the Declaration follows:
The Kuala Lumpur Declaration, 1985
- The Conference affirms that the right of free speech is an inviolable
human right. Freedom of the press is an essential corollary of that right.
That freedom is neither a proprietary right of the publishers nor a
privilege of journalists; it is the right of the people to be informed.
- Freedom of the press imposes a corresponding responsibility upon the
press, involving the acceptance of and compliance with high ethical
standards by editors and journalists.
- The institution of Press Councils and similar bodies is a desirable
method whereby freedom of the press, and the corresponding responsibility of
the press, may be developed and enhanced.
- Differing views were expressed as to the desirable form of a Press
Council or a similar body. The Conference determined that the method whereby
a Press Council or similar body is constituted is a matter for each country
or region, and will necessarily reflect such factors as its legal traditions,
constitution, socio-economic development, culture and civilization. However
constituted, a Press Council or a similar body must be autonomous and
independent of government or any other outside interference.
- Conferences & Seminars of Press Councils and similar bodies, where
delegates may exchange ideas and learn from the experience of others, are of
inestimable value to the work of those bodies. These Conferences should be
held periodically to provide a forum for consultation and co-operation with
due respect to the principles of equality and non-interference in each
other's affairs.
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