66th EBU General Assembly wraps up in Helsinki

The 66th EBU General Assembly drew to a close today in Helsinki's Finlandia Hall, after two days of intensive discussions about the big issues facing public service media.

This year more than 200 leaders and decision-makers from the EBU community and beyond attended, under the auspices of the Finnish Broadcasting Company and EBU Member YLE. The main focus was on the changing role of public service media in a globalized world.

Summing up his impressions of the EBU General Assembly, YLE CEO Lauri Kivinen said the event showed that public service broadcasters are continuing to shape the media landscape.

He said: "The Assembly has proved that national public broadcasting continues to be the strong backbone of the media, which makes the EBU and its Members a major force. In the changing media landscape, public broadcasters' strength is of paramount importance for pluralistic, high quality content and journalism."

EBU Director General Ingrid Deltenre said this year's gathering had been particularly important, with many public service broadcasters facing financial and political pressures.

"This General Assembly has focused on how our Members must adapt before an increasingly challenging set of circumstances while ensuring that their editorial independence is untouched and that they can depend on secure and adequate funding," said Ms Deltenre.

Guest speakers over the two days included YLE CEO, Lauri Kivinen; Finnish Minister of Communications, Krista Kiuru and Nokia Services Executive Vice-President, Dr Tero Ojanperä. 

This morning's special session focused on the evolving role of media in a globalized world, with attention given to the popular uprisings in Arab countries and other movements, largely brought about by the instant spread of information through social media. 

"Social media became an important tool for people to organize during the Arab Spring protests, and it's important for news organizations to exploit it on behalf of audiences. But there are dangers - of verification, of how can we be sure material out there is what it says it is, and if it only comes from opposition sources, how can we use it to tell the story from all perspectives?"  Fran Unsworth, BBC Head of Newsgathering.

The next General Assembly will be held in December at the EBU's headquarters in Geneva.
For profiles of guest speakers please click here
To see photos from the 66th EBU Assembly, please click here.


(Source : European Broadcasting Union)