{"id":2816,"date":"2014-09-11T10:51:44","date_gmt":"2014-09-11T08:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/schspin.wordpress.com\/?p=2816"},"modified":"2021-10-30T18:28:59","modified_gmt":"2021-10-30T18:28:59","slug":"fernsehrat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schspin.stieve.com\/gb\/2014\/09\/11\/fernsehrat\/","title":{"rendered":"The Standards for Public Broadcasting"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Standards for Public Broadcasting
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Today it is all about public service broadcasting<\/strong>, its mandate according to the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty<\/strong> and the broadcasting commissions<\/strong> that are there to control the implementation. Is it guaranteed that the programmes of ARD (German channel 1) and ZDF (German channel 2) live up to the expectations? In addition we will look at the members of the ZDF broadcasting commission<\/strong> and three examples<\/strong> from the ZDF television programme: SPORTS, MURDERS and SHOWS.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201eWhat? This is being financed by my TV licence fees<\/em>?\u201c this is something that most of us have heard before or even exclaimed ourselves, when others or we were unhappty with public service television programmes. \u201eAre they allowed to do that<\/em>?!\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

The legal basis for public television in Germany<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The right of free speech, freedom of press and arts, and the ban on censorship of course also apply to the makers of public TV, based on article 5 of the German Grundgesetz \/ Basic Law. On top of this there are some more specific laws and regulations, first of all the Interstate Broadcasting Treaty IBT (Rundfunkstaatsvertrag). Its \u00a7 11 is all about the mandate of public television (financed through television licence fees):<\/span><\/p>\n

(1) It is the duty of Public-Service Broadcasting to function as means of public opinion formation and thus meet the democratic, social and cultural needs of society. It should give a comprehensive overview on international, European, national and regional events in all essential areas of life.
\n(2) The Broadcasting Corporations must respect basic principles of objectivity and impartiality in reporting, and consider diversity of opinion as well as a fair balance in their programmes<\/em>. (\u00a7 11 IBT)<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition both German public channels ARD (1) and ZDF (2) have interstate treaties of their own, the ARD Interstate Treaty<\/a> \/ ARD IT, that treats the joint TV programme \u201cDas Erste\u201d (the first) of all broadcasting corporations of the states of Germany, and the ZDF Interstate Treaty<\/a> \/ ZDF IT, that deals with the programme of the ZDF. The ZDF IT is much more detailed than that of the ARD (33 as opposed to 9 paragraphs) and deals with the \u201cpresentation of the programmes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

(1) The programmes of the ZDF should communicate a comprehensive picture of German reality. The programmes are to boost free individual and public formation of opinions.
\n(2) The programme should reflect the events in the individual states of Germany and the cultural diversity in Germany
\n(3) The programmes are to especially boost the togetherness in a unified Germany as well as to serve integration of society as a whole in peace and freedom and the understanding among the peoples and to work towards a togetherness of people free of discrimination.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

There is no special mention of women, but they are probably included in some aspect or other.<\/span><\/p>\n

On paper all people in Germany, i.e. the 41.7 mio. women and the 40.3 mio. men are equal (article 3 of the Basic Law) – but their realities in society still differ considerably. This is something the state acknowledges in the second passage of article 3 Basic Law:<\/span><\/p>\n

Article 3: Equality before the Law<\/strong><\/span>
\n(2) Men and women shall have equal rights. The state shall promote the actual implementation of equal rights for women and men and take steps to eliminate disadvantages that now exist.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In some respect the fictional programmes on public television are a continuation of this disadvantage through other means. Of course fictional programmes, i.e. television movies, mini series, series etc. are just that, fictional, made-up, invented. Feature films are no documentaries of everyday life, no chronicle of surveillance cameras. Instead they tell exceptional, remarkable, unique stories that happened, could have happened or might happen, in the positive or negative sense (anything between romance and horror thriller), they transform visions of the future into film (science ficion, utopias, dystopias), they provide invented plots.
\nBut there is no automatic reason for these invented stories to have to deal primarily with men and no reason for women to become a marginal group and minority. In this context I am calling it a retro reality, something that can be described via three parameters:<\/span><\/p>\n