Media Freedom faces a great challenge

A group of leading international broadcasters have raised their concerns over internet blocking, satellite jamming and the return of shortwave jamming. The organisations including ABC Australia and AEF France say that media freedom faces its greatest challenge since the Cold War.

The comments came as part of World Press Freedom Day yesterday with the broadcasters calling on all nations to recognise the legitimate role played by international broadcasts in offering free access to global media and coverage of events.

The statement was issued by the representatives of AEF France, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC for the United Kingdom, the Broadcasting Board of Governors in the USA, Deutsche Welle of Germany, NHK Japan and Radio Netherlands who note:

“The jamming of satellite broadcasts has become a regular occurrence as regimes seek to block certain services from the being received. This jamming affects areas stretching from Northern Europe to Afghanistan and as far south as Northern Africa. We have also seen internet blocking of services and cyber-attacks on media organisations of all over the world, shortwave jamming and disruption and interference with FM broadcasts. Media Freedom has not faced such a concerted campaign of disruption since the end of the Cold War.”

During the Cold War, the jamming of radio broadcasts to east of the Iron Curtain was commonplace. European and US broadcasters worked hard to overcome this in a game of cat and mouse. From the late 1990s, digital satellite broadcasting has flourished, delivering a wide range of programmes in many languages to communities across the globe. Audiences have been able to benefit from international broadcasts that provide a different perspective on news and cultures.

Shortwave jamming of BBC World Service English broadcasts to China for the first time ever this year is an unwelcome return to the oldest method of interrupting programmes. The jamming is so extensive and powerful that is affecting services to neighbouring Asian nations. This is contrary to the international regulations that govern radio broadcasts.

The BBC has recently suspended some broadcasts in Sri Lanka following repeated disruption and there has been a long-running campaign of disruption and intimidation against the BBC in Iran.

BBC Global News Director Peter Horrocks says: “Despite repeated jamming, recent figures show that our BBC Persian audience has nearly doubled to 11.8 million adults weekly – up from 6.7million in 2012. This huge rise shows that attempts to discredit our journalism and to intimidate our staff are failing, and ordinary Iranians are turning to the BBC for independent news they can trust.”

The BBC has been working hard with fellow broadcasters and the satellite industry to counter jamming and secure media freedom. This involves seeking long term technical solutions and short term ‘fixes’ so that services can continue to be received during major political events and times of tension. All of the leading international broadcasters are working with the International Telecommunication Union and other UN bodies to recognise the profound affects that jamming is having on audiences and the industry.