formulations and concentrates on the rights and
responsibilities of governments to the exclusion of those of individuals. We favour a more pragmatic approach, which would concentrate on specific measures to develop the Communication capacity of those countries who need help in this area. We want to avoid political and ideological confrontation on these issues, which do not help solve the real problems. It was for these reasons that we voted against 6 (1) and abstained on 6 (ii) above. We willingly joined the consensus on 6 (iii) in the hope that the Programme can provide the desirable practical approach.
8. We joined the consensus on 6 (iv) with extreme reluctance and only because we were unable to find any company in which to oppose or abstain. Despite our best endeavours, including two preliminary meetings which we initiated in the late summer with the USA, FRG, France, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Japan, to look for the basis of a common Western position at Belgrade, Western coordination on Communication questions at the Conference left much to be desired. We believe the political implications and the threat to Western news media implicit in the call for NWICO were until recently partly appreciated by many Western countries. The UK has proposed a number of measures in eg the European Community and the Council of Europe to increase Western awareness and improve Western coordination.
9. See also- UNESCO Declaration on the Mass Media (1978)
4/9.3/2 (adopted by consensus).
UNESCO Report of the International Commission for the study of Communication Problems (the MacBride Report).
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