Romania

[RO] Recommendation with regard to accidents and medical subjects coverage

IRIS 2014-5:1/30

Eugen Cojocariu

Radio Romania International

On 6 March 2014, the Consiliul Naţional al Audiovizualului (National Audiovisual Council - CNA) issued the Recommendation no. 1/2014 with regard to the accidents and medical subjects coverage in the audiovisual programmes services (see IRIS 2011-1/44, IRIS 2011-10/37, IRIS 2012-3/31, and IRIS 2014-1/40).

The Recommendation was issued due to the accelerated tabloidisation of the audiovisual media in Romanian, to the important emotional impact of the news and current affairs TV programmes and is in line with the legal provisions. According to Art. 29 (1) of the Audiovisual Code (CNA Decision no. 220 of 24 February 2011), the news and current affairs programmes have to observe the principle of minor protection and of watching TV in family situations. According to Art. 29 (2), audiovisual programmes services providers are obliged before broadcasting shocking images, scenes of violence or with negative emotional impact on the viewers, to verbally warn the TV spectators: "Caution! The images can affect viewers emotionally!” The warning will be also displayed statically and readable on the screen. At the same time the broadcasters cannot repeatedly air scenes of violence in the same audiovisual works.

The Recommendation 1/2014 provides that news presenters have to avoid any emotional involvement and must present the subjects in a neutral, objective and balanced way, without any sensational stress, relying on information provided by studies, research and specialists, mainly in the fields of accidents and medical matters. The display of titles linked to accidents and medical issues have not to trigger emotional reactions. In the news bulletins, the broadcasters have not to air repeatedly and without justification violent images, as well as film credits and sounds with strong emotional impact.

The CNA asked all the broadcasters to observe the provisions of the Audiovisual Code with regard to news and debate programmes with a view to rigor and accuracy in editing and presenting the news; a real connection between the covered subject and the images used during the commentary; the titles and texts displayed on the screen have to reflect as closely as possible the core of the facts and data presented; in the case of reconstitutions, these have to be clearly marked; records coming from sources external to the news desk have to be clearly identified as such; by asserting of causal hypotheses with regard to the occurrence of any disaster, the broadcasters have to request the opinion of the competent authorities.