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EBU Radio News Conference

1

Panel: Building Quality Journalism

Quality Management in Media Organizations

14-15 June

Prof. Dr. Vinzenz Wyss

Zurich University of Applied Sciences

vinzenz.wyss@zhaw.ch

Zürcher Fachhochschule 2

Licenses: Requirements(UVEK 2007: 3, Article 6)

OFCOM gives broadcasting licenses to private organisations. Requirements include:

- Quality goals and standards concerning form and content of programme

- Defined production processes

- Sufficient personal resources

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Requirements concerning quality assurance I

1. Quality goals and standards concerning form and content of the programme.

They are to reflect the programming mandate and to specify the goals and standards of the single organization.

These goals and standards are to be included in documents such as mission statements, editorial guidelines or editorial handbooks.

The goals are to be made known among all employees.

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Requirements concerning quality assurance II

2. Defined processes which allow for an ongoing control of whether stated quality goals are met.

This includes for example briefings, production approval processes and institutionalized programme feedback, all in relation to the above mentioned goals and standards.

Furthermore, the result of this feedback is to be made accessible for all employees.

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Requirements concerning quality assurance III

3. Sufficient personal resources to fulfil the programming mandate.

As far as human resources are concerned, training to meet the defined programme requirements is to be implemented.

Performance reviews with employees and written-down agreements on goals to be achieved should help to communicate the quality standards.

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EFQM Excellence Model

Leadership ProcessesKey

PerformanceResults

People

Policy &Strategy

People Results

Customer Results

Society ResultsPartnerships& Resources

INNOVATION AND LEARNING

ENABLERS RESULTS

Leadership ProcessesKey

PerformanceResults

People

Policy &Strategy

People Results

Customer Results

Society ResultsPartnerships& Resources

Leadership ProcessesKey

PerformanceResults

People

Policy &Strategy

People Results

Customer Results

Society ResultsPartnerships& Resources

Leadership ProcessesKey

PerformanceResults

People

Policy &Strategy

People Results

Customer Results

Society ResultsPartnerships& Resources

INNOVATION AND LEARNING

ENABLERS RESULTS

EFQM

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www.media-society.org/

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www.media-society.org/

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Quality assurance

• On the editorial level maintaining quality includes all the systematically planed procedures which contribute to determining journalistic production process or services or to improve them and adjust them to previously defined requirements – quality goals.

• Quality assurance thereby helps to define corrective measures to meet the set standards and to overcome deficits.

• To develop, steer and ensure quality in the media companies, suitable management concepts are necessary, which develop the corresponding structures and creates internal guidelines.

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Media Quality Management Model

Regeln Ressourcen Output Outcome

Q-Ziele Normen Allokative Autoritative Inhalte Publika

LeitbilderRedaktions-

statutePersonal

Organisations-struktur

Q-Standards:

RelevanzVielfalt

RichtigkeitAktualität

TransparenzInteraktivitätNarrativität

Wirkungen:

InformationVerstehen

OrientierungPartizipation

LeitlinienJournalisten-

kodexGeld, Technik Hierarche

Konzepte Ethik-Kodex WissenSicherungs-Prozesse

preventive accompanying ex-post

BriefingStorylinePlanning

CoachingFeedback

(Fact-) Checking

FeedbackSelf-Criticism

Audience Research

Rules Resources Output Outcome

Quality Objectives

Norms Allocative Autoritative Content Audience

Editorial Policy

Statutes PeopleOrganisational

StructureQ-Standards:

RelevanceDiversityAccuracyFairness

TransparencyNarrativity

Interactivity

Effects:

InformationUnderstanding

OrientationIdentificationPartizipation

Guidelines Ethic-CodexMoney,

InfrastructureHierarchy

Concepts StandardsKnowledge (Education) Processes

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(a) Quality policy and rules

• The management should provide evidence of its commitment to well-defined core values. The quality policy of the management should be formalized in the form of a widely disseminated document that is reviewed at least once a year.

• This document could for example include an editorial charter that guarantees the independence of the media organization from any kind of power, be it political, economical or other.

• A code for programmes or mission statement, an ethical code or a quality manual includes e.g. professional norms of quality journalism, such as pluralism of opinions and points of view, consideration for minority groups, promotion of diversity etc.

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BBC Editorial Guidelines

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1. THE BBC'S EDITORIAL VALUES

2. Editorial Values

3. ACCURACY

4. IMPARTIALITY

5. HARM AND OFFENCE

6. FAIRNESS, CONTRIBUTORS AND CONSENT

7. PRIVACY

8. REPORTING CRIME AND ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOU

R

9. CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AS CONTRIBUT

ORS

10. POLITICS, PUBLIC POLICY AND POLLS

11. WAR, TERROR AND EMERGENCIES

12. RELIGION

14. EDITORIAL INTEGRITY AND INDEPENDENCE FR

OM EXTERNAL INTERESTS

15. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

16. EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS AND FUNDING

17. INTERACTING WITH OUR AUDIENCES

18. THE LAW

19. ACCOUNTABILITY

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BBC Guidelines

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/guidelines/

e.g. ACCURACY

– Principles

– Gathering Material

– Avoiding Misleading Audiences

– Managing Online Content

– Checking Programmes

– Correcting Mistakes

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Media Quality Management Model

Regeln Ressourcen Output Outcome

Q-Ziele Normen Allokative Autoritative Inhalte Publika

LeitbilderRedaktions-

statutePersonal

Organisations-struktur

Q-Standards:

RelevanzVielfalt

RichtigkeitAktualität

TransparenzInteraktivitätNarrativität

Wirkungen:

InformationVerstehen

OrientierungPartizipation

LeitlinienJournalisten-

kodexGeld, Technik Hierarche

Konzepte Ethik-Kodex WissenSicherungs-Prozesse

preventive accompanying ex-post

BriefingStorylinePlanning

CoachingFeedback

(Fact-) Checking

FeedbackSelf-Criticism

Audience Research

Rules Resources Output Outcome

Quality Objectives

Norms Allocative Autoritative Content Audience

Editorial Policy Statutes People

Organisational Structure

Q-Standards:

RelevanceDiversityAccuracyFairness

TransparencyNarrativity

Interactivity

Effects:

InformationUnderstanding

OrientationIdentificationPartizipation

Guidelines Ethic-CodexMoney,

InfrastructureHierarchy

Concepts StandardsKnowledge (Education) Processes

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Minimum Standards for Editorial Statutes

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The editorial staff represents the moral and intellectual capital of the public service broadcasting station;

The appointment and dismissal of the editor-in-chief, or equivalent by management must be confirmed by the editorial staff by majority vote;

The editorial staff must be consulted on decisions which affect definition of editorial policy and content of the broadcasting station;

The editorial staff has the right to participate with management in the joint development of editorial codes/guidelines;

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Quality Assessment: Documents & Processes

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  Media Type   TOTAL

  Public BC(Radio & TV)

Private BC(Radio & TV)

Print   Online   2008

Quality Policy /Guidelines 75 60  43   37    52 Ethic-Codex 66 38  24    29   35 PR-Guidelines 43  30 19   23    25 

Discussion about quality 63 52 28 29   36Always check of forwarded information

 60 39  34  24 41Check a segment before transmission

73  37 59    60  59

Institutionalized feedback 77 53 45 22 52Performance reviews with employees

78 51 38 48 47

concepts:

e.g. „invesitigative journalism

norms:

e.g. independence, accuracy

facilities:

e.g. time, manpower,

knowledge, archive,

processes

to communicate /

to legitimate

to exert

power

rules of

signification/legitimationresources of domination

Structuration process in the media organisations

recursive process

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(b) Resources and processes

• The management should identify and document all the processes having a direct impact on the quality of editorial content, the relationship with advertisers, the relationship with external suppliers of content, the measurement of audience figures and listeners/viewers’ satisfaction, and the management of human resources.

• The organization should have clear rules of recruitment and professional development options for all its employees.

• The organization should establish an in-house critic, or a “content evaluation commission”, and put in place a quality or ethics committee and mediation mechanisms (e.g. ombudsman) to deal with external complaints.

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People: Human Resource Management

• Annual evaluation of each employee / employee satisfaction

• Periodic goals setting for each employee

• Job descriptions for all positions

• Clear and transparent procedures to appointment and resignation of employee

• Clear and communicated rules for salary and professional evolution

• Assessment of training needs of each employee

• Specific policy and appropriate budget for on-going training

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HRPeople

Sources

Contacts

Infrastructure

Archive

Dokuments

Inp

ut

Fact

Sheet

CMS

Segment of

radio

program

Studio Control

Audience Research

/ Evaluation Report

Quality Policy

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Planning process: „Message wish“

„The listener should…

…experience / understand / know / recognize etc. …

…why / that / if / how much etc. …

… the protaginist / the hero / the victim …

… only slowly / fastly / successfully etc. …

… helped / decided / supportet etc. …

… this decsion / the event / the victim etc.

… altough / while / despite… etc …“

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Check/Feedback: „What do You think about my program…“

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Check/Feedback: „What do You think about my program…“

Idea of Quality !

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Quality Assessment: Documents & Processes

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  Media Type   TOTAL

  Public BC(Radio & TV)

Private BC(Radio & TV)

Print   Online   2008

Quality Policy /Guidelines 75 60  43   37    52 Ethic-Codex 66 38  24    29   35 PR-Guidelines 43  30 19   23    25 

Discussion about quality 63 52 28 29   36Always check of forwarded information

60 39  34  24 41Check a segment before transmission

73  37 59    60  59

Institutionalized feedback 77 53 45 22 52Performance reviews with employees

78 51 38 48 47

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BAKOM

Quality Goals / Documents Ressourcen & Prozesse Evaluation

Education system

Organisation / workflow

Verantwortliche Sendeleitung

Feedback Processes

Planning

Personal-

entwicklungOrganisationsstruktur:

Aufbau- und Ablauf-Struktur

Sicherungsprozesse (Briefings,

Abnahme, Sendungskritik)Aus-/Weiterbildung/Feedback:

Workshops, Sendungskritiken

Coaching

Analyse Ist-Zustand

Vereinbarung mit

Evaluationsstelle

Dokumentation

Commitment

intern extern

Evaluations-

berichtEvaluationsstelle:

z.B. Certimedia,

z.B. MQA

z.B. Publicom

Infrastrukture

n,

Arbeitsplätze

Massnahmen

0800 / 0600

Evaluation

Idea of / contact with audience

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Check/Feedback: „What do You think about my program…“Idea of

Quality !