News Media Coalition (NMC) launches its Framework for Primary Source Journalism in Europe with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), public policy makers, EU officials, news agencies, publishers and media freedom advocacy groups.
International and national news agencies and publishers met MEPs and European officials in Brussels this week to make the case for Primary Source Journalism (PSJ).
They explained that PSJ, witness-based on-the-ground reporting of events by trained journalists, needed to be regarded as a key component of democracy and for a better-informed society. The two-day event, organised by the News Media Coalition, marked the European launch of NMC’s Framework for Primary Source Journalism, which lays down the nine elemental conditions necessary for good journalism to not only survive but to thrive in an era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and misinformation.
Andrew Moger, NMC Chief Executive, said:
“Primary Source Journalism is where quality news starts. It means journalists on the ground, seeing events for themselves. That work depends on the right conditions being in place and that itself requires support from policymakers. It also requires those that are tempted to keep the Press at arm’s length to open the doors to professional journalists. This week we put PSJ on the map by sharing our Framework with legislators, officials and our own industry. Our Framework gives them a practical starting point. PSJ is now better understood, valued and supported. The task now is to act on it.”
The NMC event, which opened with a seminar at the European Parliament hosted by MEP Maria Guzenina (Finland, S&D), came two weeks after Finland’s national news agency, STT, announced plans to wind up its news and picture services next year. Speaking ahead of the seminar, MEP Guzenina said:
“STT has been part of how Finns get reliable news for almost 140 years. Its possible closure shows why the conditions for professional newsgathering need attention at European level.”“Primary Source Journalism’s solid place in the maelstrom of the information eco-system.”
— Andrew Moger, NMC Chief Executive
Following the seminar, news organisations and partners, including the European Publishers Council (EPC) and European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA), met for a day of industry sessions. They discussed problems of access for reporters, news photographers and video journalists to major news events and how such limitations hamper the ability of the public to obtain independent and verified information in the form of professionally-created news material.
The event’s sessions addressed constructively the interconnected challenges of barriers in the way of newsgathering, importance of positive policy on copyright and the values associated with hard-to-get news and how best to ensure press freedom campaigning is relevant to the wider public, particularly for younger news consumers.
Moger concluded:
“Thanks to those that attended and the news organisations and institutions they represented, the event felt like a defining moment for the news sector and for Primary Source Journalism’s solid place in the maelstrom of the information eco-system.”
Further coverage of the event will follow. The Framework for Primary Source Journalism sets out the conditions NMC considers necessary for first-hand newsgathering to continue. Read the Framework here.
