Carta editorial ligada ao contrato com a União Europeia

I. Carta editorial ligada ao contrato com a União Europeia

 

1. DISPOSIÇÕES GERAIS

O contratante não pode cumprir nenhuma instrução, pressão ou pedido vindo de qualquer Instituição ou Estado membro da UE, ou de qualquer outra Instituição ou Estado, para qualquer assunto que seja, no âmbito dos “Serviços da UE” que se compromete a executar em virtude do presente Contrato.

 

Definições:

“Instituições UE”
Designa todas as Instituições da União Europeia definidas pelos Tratados.
“Serviços UE”
Designa todos os serviços e todos os programas que tratam dos negócios europeus, fornecidos no âmbito do presente Contrato.

 

2. CONTEÚDO DO PROGRAMA

2.1. Sob reserva das disposições visadas no artigo 4 abaixo, o contratante compromete-se a fornecer, em qualquer altura, Serviços UE respondendo às normas mais elevadas (nomeadamente, atendendo ao seu conteúdo, à sua qualidade e à sua integridade editorial). Além disso, o contratante compromete-se a propor um leque rico de temas tratados (no âmbito não só dos programas em geral, mas igualmente dos dias da semana durante os quais e as horas durante as quais, os programas são difundidos), visando responder às necessidades e aos interesses do público, de acordo com as disposições visadas no artigo 2.2.

2.2. As disposições do artigo 2.1 estipulam que os Serviços UE devem:

  1. visar seleccionar, verificar e difundir a informação relativa à UE;
  2. apoiar e reflectir a diversidade cultural da UE;
  3. oferecer uma cobertura global, ambiciosa e imparcial dos temas que fazem a actualidade no seio da UE, e pelo mundo quando este apresentam uma dimensão europeia, e prestar contas dos debates esclarecidos a nível regional, nacional e comunitário;
  4. conter programas de colocação em perspectiva e de explicação;
  5. incluir programas orientados para o impacto das acções, das decisões e das políticas da UE sobre a vida dos cidadãos da UE e reflectir sobre as preocupações dos públicos tanto regionais como nacionais.

2.3. O contratante compromete-se a apresentar um relatório imparcial, que será preparado ou comentado por jornalistas profissionais, sobre a actualidade do Parlamento Europeu, do Conselho dos ministros da UE, dos Conselhos europeus, da Comissão Europeia ou de qualquer outra instituição ou órgão europeu.

 

3. OBJECTIVOS DOS SERVIÇOS UE

O contratante compromete-se a:

3.1. Publicar no seu site Internet uma declaração anual dos seus compromissos para com os telespectadores, descrevendo os seus serviços UE, as suas normas e os seus objectivos e torná-la acessível a qualquer pessoa que deseje consultá-la;

3.2. Redigir um comentário com todos os pormenores razoáveis sobre a execução do Contrato no âmbito de um relatório anual apresentado em conformidade às disposições estipuladas no dito Contrato bem como publicar no seu site Internet, uma síntese explicando como:

  1. O contratante respeita os objectivos e as normas estabelecidas no âmbito dos principais tipos e serviços de programas fornecidos a título dos Serviços UE;
  2. as normas editoriais são aplicadas aos Serviços UE e como as decisões adoptadas permitem garantir o respeito das ditas normas, verificando simultaneamente a medida na qual o contratante se conformou às ditas normas;
  3. actividades de investigação e estudos foram efectuados durante o ano, tendo em vista verificar as necessidades e os interesses do público dos Serviços UE e como as principais descobertas realizadas nos termos das mesmas são classificadas;
  4. as queixas são formuladas pelo dito público, como o seu assunto e a forma foram tratados, e em que proporções.

 

4. NORMAS EM MATÉRIA DE PROGRAMA

4.1. O contratante compromete-se a fazer tudo o que puder para garantir a difusão ou a transmissão dos programas, para ou por conta de ou a título de uma licença vinda do contratante fazendo parte dos serviços UE.

  1. aparenta-se a um serviço perfeitamente equilibrado e aborda um grande leque de assuntos;
  2. esteja no ar às horas indicadas no Contrato, ou, se não estiver estipulada nenhuma indicação, às horas apropriadas;
  3. trata qualquer tema controverso com toda a exactidão e a objectividade de rigor, no âmbito dos novos serviços do contratante e de qualquer outro programa mais geral tratando de questões de interesse público, políticos ou sociais, susceptíveis de levantar uma controvérsia;
  4. não inclui nenhum elemento susceptível de ofender o bom gosto ou a decência ou de natureza a intensificar actos violentos ou semear a desordem ou ofender os telespectadores ou os auditores;
  5. não implica uma qualquer exploração indecente da sensibilidade dos telespectadores ou dos auditores ou uma qualquer exploração abusiva das crenças ou opiniões religiosas dos indivíduos pertencentes a uma religião ou a uma confissão religiosa especial;
  6. não possui nenhum sistema técnico que, pela difusão de imagens de muito curta duração ou por qualquer outro meio, explora a possibilidade de transmitir uma mensagem, ou de influir de qualquer forma no espírito dos telespectadores que vêem os Serviços UE sem terem consciência ou plenamente consciência das imagens que aparecem à sua frente.

4.2. O contratante compromete-se a:

  1. elaborar e rever pelo menos uma vez por ano, um código estipulando as regras devendo ser respeitadas ao nível da aplicação do artigo 4.1 acima indicado no âmbito dos Serviços UE ;
  2. fazer tudo o que estiver ao seu alcance para garantir que as disposições deste código sejam respeitadas no âmbito da execução dos serviços e dos programas (o contratante reserva-se o direito de adoptar diferentes disposições no código em função dos casos ou das circunstâncias).

4.3. As regras específicas neste código (artigo 4.2) devem, nomeadamente, garantir o respeito por parte do contratante da sua imparcialidade mais total, de acordo com o artigo 4.1, esta condição devendo ter um interesse de maior importância não só no âmbito do dito artigo, mas igualmente da totalidade das disposições;

4.4. Além disso, estas regras devem mencionar, nos limites de que o contratante achar oportunos:

  1. o grau de objectividade que convém respeitar, de forma geral e no âmbito das circunstâncias especiais;
  2. a forma como este grau de objectividade deve ser respeitado no âmbito de programas especiais.

Estas regras devem por outro lado, estipular que a objectividade de rigor não requer a aplicação do princípio de neutralidade absoluta para cada questão nem uma qualquer indiferença dos princípios democráticos fundamentais.

 

5. INVESTIGAÇÕES

O contratante compromete-se a tomar todas as medidas necessárias para realizar um programa de investigação e de desenvolvimento visando verificar as necessidades e os interesses das audiências dos Serviços UE, no seu seio ou em colaboração com universidades, empresas ou qualquer outra entidade consoante os casos.

 

6. ÉTICA

6.1. O contratante compromete-se a não oferecer e não permitir a terceiros de oferecer, a um membro das Instituições UE, um brinde ou qualquer contrapartida a título de incentivo de qualquer natureza que seja, ou uma recompensa para a execução ou a não execução de uma acção passada ou futura ou de qualquer outro contrato, ou testemunhar ou abster-se de testemunhar uma marca de simpatia ou de antipatia para com qualquer pessoa a título de uma acção ou de um qualquer outro contrato ou convenção;

6.2. A Comissão reserva-se o direito, em caso de violação da presente disposição pelo contratante, por um dos seus empregados ou por qualquer outro indivíduo actuando por conta própria (com ou sem o consentimento do contratante) ou de perpetração de infracção pelo contratante, por um dos seus empregados ou por qualquer outro indivíduo actuando por conta própria no âmbito do presente Contrato, de reclamar ao contratante, nos termos de um procedimento contraditório, o montante ou o valor do dito brinde ou contrapartida.

 

8. EU FRAMEWORK COMMITMENTS

As part of Euronews’ Framework agreement with the European Commission covering the period 2017-2021, Euronews is committed to

  • Progressively increasing and expanding the volume and impact of its reporting of EU affairs and policies
  • Improving the quality of reporting on EU affairs
  • Guaranteeing a European perspective in each of its language services
  • Improving digital coverage of European affairs as part of its wider multiplatform strategy
  • Ensuring an plurastic coverage of EU affairs, covering all audience groups
  • Reinforcing the production and distribution of content in Euronews’ EU languages
  • Reinforcing the production and distribution of content in Euronews’ non-EU languages
  • Exploring possibilities to broaden Euronews public service status, distribution activites and linguistic diversity within Europe

 

How this is achieved

Euronews fulfills the above missions using a range of approaches including:

  • Using correspondents and experienced freelancer journalists around Europe to report on the ground and bring different perspectives into coverage
  • Investing in original content around stories of European interest
  • Maintaining a multi-lingual team of journalists in Brussels to report on European Affairs through a range of programme formats
  • Working with partners to launch new programmes both on television and online
  • Improving and adapting journalistic workflows to take advantage of new technologies and presentation possibilities
  • Ensuring consistency of coverage by setting multilingual stories for production in all Euronews languages as part of the daily news agenda
  • Adapting content for different platforms, according to European media consumption habits
  • Covering major events as they happen with live images and/or text commentary
  • Conducting interviews with news makers from across Europe and beyond

 

II. Annual statement of commitment to viewers

 

Euronews wishes to show its viewers, on a daily basis, Europe as it is: richly diverse and complex.Ambition and impartiality are the guiding principles that will shape the media’s coverage of current events in and outside the European Union.A national focus is now too narrow for informing the public and debating the issues. Euronews is tracking the emergence, out in the field, of a genuine European public arena.Our broadcasting formats – reports, interviews and debates – are designed to observe how the European Union’s actions, decisions and policies impact on its citizens’ lives.

1. EUROPEAN MISSIONS TO INFORM

Euronews has been recognized a mission of European general interest in the field of information since 2010 by the European Commission.

To fully play its role as a transnational media organisation, Euronews must fulfil four European Missions to Inform: “News Brief”, “News Perspective”, “In Depth” and “Live”:

The “News Brief” Mission (EMI I) aims to provide viewers, quickly and concisely, with the day’s essential European news.

The “News Perspective” Mission (EMI II) aims to give them the keys to understanding European current events.

The “In Depth” Mission (EMI III) aims to help them explore the perspectives opened up by being a European citizen.

The “Live” Mission (EMI IV) aims to give them direct access, in real time, to the public debate and to the events that set the tempo of Europe’s institutions.

 

2. PRODUCTION STANDARDS

In carrying out these European Missions to Inform, Euronews undertakes to comply with high quality standards in order to meet viewers’ expectations and needs.

Independence

The channel pays special attention to its independence when treating topics to do with public-interest, political and social issues, and more generally with all news themes subject to controversy. Programme content must be produced without any pressure from any EU institution, political party or business entity.

In general terms, the duty of independence dictates the conduct of all participants in the editorial production process, from the gathering of news through to its airing. Euronews journalists therefore undertake to “resist every pressure and (…) accept editorial orders only from the responsible persons of the editorial staff” (1971 Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Journalists).

Impartiality

Euronews remains impartial while carrying out its European Missions to Inform. Impartiality is defined essentially as the search to reasonably compare points of view within the bounds of fundamental democratic principles. This consequently enables the topic to be given a horizontal (for/against) or vertical(EU/national/regional) dialectic treatment.

Diversity

The programmes made within the scope of the European Missions to Inform are produced with the constant care to promote cultural diversity, as defined by the Treaty (art. 151). They will aim, in particular, to improve viewers’ knowledge of the culture and history of Europe’s peoples.

Moreover, editorial decisions are always taken with the aim of achieving a thematic and geographic balance in the treatment of news, refraining, in particular, from giving greater emphasis to one national viewpoint than to another.

Respect for viewers

While carrying out its European Missions to Inform, Euronews takes scrupulous care to respect its viewers. Consequently, elements liable to offend viewers’ sensibilities are banned from its programmes.

This applies to all images and information that are manifestly incompatible with good taste and decency or liable to encourage or give rise to acts of violence or disorder.

Further, the editorial managers ensure that there is no indecent exploitation of viewers’ sensibilities, and no abusive exploitation of religious beliefs and opinions.

 

3. PROGRAMMING

To fulfil its four European Missions to Inform, Euronews has devised various Modules to fit better into its overall programme schedule. Below is an inventory describing their content (format, length and structure).

 

3.1 News modules

3.1.1 News mandatory & specifics

The production will be fed primarily by Euronews own newsgathering, driven by the enhanced production and journalistic capabilities, focusing more on our own original journalism, first-hand accounts, reactions and graphic elements, in order to decrease the use of news agencies.

Produced by specialist journalists, with content supplied by EbS but also footage from EBU member agencies or television channels, the Post-produced News packages give an update on a hot topic attracting public attention in Brussels or Strasbourg and in the member countries. The essential news about European institutions takes a central place in Euronews’ daily schedule, but is subject to increased editorial stringency compared to previous formats and to the general treatment of international news.

3.1.2 Live coverage

There is only one Module in this fourth and final European Mission to Inform: live broadcasts, with commentary and translation in seven languages, of the big events to do with the European Union and its institutions (European Parliament sessions, debates and votes; European Council meetings, press conferences, visits by heads of state and government, celebrations and commemorations, etc.). This direct access to the main events in European public life lets viewers make their own judgements about the decisions taken by the Union’s top bodies. These Live broadcasts may vary widely in length, depending on the event. On average, they will be 40′ long. They will amount to a yearly total of 31 hours and 20 minutes.

3.1.3 European Correspondent Network

Euronews’ freelance network focused on putting the spotlight on European citizens and their challenges and achievements.

Our coverage included topics such as the Swedish elections, anti-corruption protests in Romania, the Catalunya crisis in Spain, the bridge collapse tragedy in Italy, the San Sebastian film festival in Spain as well as numerous other daily stories from Eastern Europe to the West of Europe.

Having original content, featuring the voices of those living through the stories we tell has had a positive impact on output. Stories from our freelance network perform on average more than four times better than other stories on our website.

Euronews brings the voices of Europeans from all corners of the continent into our overall focus on the wishes, choices and issues of Europeans at a crucial moment in its history with the elections of 2019 (see Improving News Coverage section).

 

3.2 Programs

3.2.1 The Brief from Brussels

The Brief from Brussels is a daily news segment complementing Euronews’ overall world news coverage, bringing Euronews’ daily European affairs coverage into a designated news spotlight.

Launched in 2016, The Brief from Brussels has quickly become a strong contribution to Euronews daily news coverage, by bringing a new impetus in our European Affairs coverage through content and presentation. The Brief from Brussels is an evening prime-time presence, included in the evening presented news bulletins on World and all languages, but still marking it as such with dedicated graphics.

Euronews’ European Affairs journalists in Brussels will produce a combination of daily “mandatory” stories as well as “multiplex” ones (several language journalists coming together to produce a common story, each bringing his/her own national ingredients into the pan-European mix), both on the live channel and the other languages channels.

Each journalist will present these stories on camera, targeting their own audiences as well as each journalist going into the field to cover their own content, which is the mixed together into a global output by the Brussels bureau. Euronews World will cover the selected topics in the live formats of this channel through a flexible variety of elements: voice-overs on videos and graphics and main soundbites.

3.2.2 State of the Union

Launched in 2016, The “State of the Union” quickly established itself as a flagship program in our European Affairs news reporting, through the comprehensive content selection and analysis.

The State of the Union is the weekly round-up of the main European political stories, focusing on the main evolutions of the elections campaign, the post-elections developments and the headline making events and their reverberations across Europe. The program is presented by a Euronews Brussels journalist, recorded and produced on Friday, and broadcast from Friday evening through the weekend until Sunday evening.

3.2.3 Insiders

Insiders was launch in April 2016 as a 20-minute weekly program of investigative reporting, focused on European issues with different perspectives. The aim is to tell the often unreported or under-reported stories of European citizens and the challenges they face — be they economic, social or political.

Insiders is promoted digitally, not only on euronews.com but also with products especially designed for social media such as one-minute or less cut-downs of the show’s most poignant interviews and/or excerpts and short teasers for the program.

3.2.4 The Global Conversation

Conversations without filters, without digressions and without cuts.

This is the idea behind “Uncut – a special edition of the Global Conversation”, our unedited one-on-one interviews; a format we have successfully developed in 2018.

Uncut is an evolution of our flagship program The Global Conversation, where our leading journalists speak to high-profile guests about politics, business, culture and sport.

We will also keep developing the “All Views” strategy in the program, by inviting two or more guests offering different visions on an issue during some key episodes.

Uncut and Global Conversation are highly promoted on air and on our digital platforms. We regularly produce subtitled videos with the highlights of the show, along with articles and pictures that are highly share-able on the social platforms.

3.2.5 Magazines from different DGs of the European Commission

Over the past years, Euronews has consolidated a streamlined set of flagship programmes that present a pan-European perspective not only on the big stories of the day but on issues that affect Europeans that slip under the radar of other international media.

The ‘All Views’ message will remain at the heart of our magazines. Produced by journalists from across Europe, and with the mission to report from all corners of the continent and beyond, these magazines reflect the points of view, perspectives and opinions of as broad a cross section of Europeans as possible. This plurality of views remains a crucial mission statement for Euronews.

We continue to emphasize and innovate our current affairs output and enrich the content of programmes produced in partnership with the DGs. We see these programmes as a contribution to the dialogue and debate in the European public sphere, but also – reflecting the changing times we live in – juxtaposing, comparing and analyzing the national perspectives that reflect the enormous diversity of cultures and values across the Union.

The programmes co-funded by the DGs of the European Commission include:

  • – Aid Zone
  • – Business Planet
  • – Futuris
  • – Ocean
  • – Real Economy
  • – Smart Regions

 

3.3 Quantity per module

Besides the qualitative undertakings made above, Euronews also gives its viewers guarantees on how many units of each module will be broadcast yearly. Each European Mission to Inform thus has a clearly stated presence in the Euronews grid and programming.

MODULENB EPISODES PER YEAR
Post produced news stories1300
Specific post produced news stories340
Live47
The Brief from Brussels150
State of the Union47
Insiders10
Global Conversation – short format18
Global Conversation – long format8
Freelance Network

QUANTIDADES ANUAIS POR MISSÃO E POR MÓDULO

Missão I – 1,227 News Brief

Módulo 01: 141 News gravadas

Módulo 02: 1,086 News pós-produzidas

Missão II – 198 News Perspective

Módulo 03: 104 News Weekly pós-produzidas

Módulo 04: 26 News Daily gravadas

Módulo 05: 68 News Daily pós-produzidas

Missão III – 200 News In Depth

Módulo 06: 47 Retratos e Entrevistas

Módulo 07: 12 Debates

Módulo 08: 47 magazines de 8 min. gravados

Módulo 09: 47 magazines de 8 min. pós-produzidos

Módulo 10: 47 Revistas Europeias

Missão IV – 24 Directos

Módulo 11: 720 minutos de Directos Europeus, ou seja cerca de 24 programas repartidos em 30 minutos