Bonn Memorandum 2009

Sustainable Lifestyles

The Media and Sustainable Development

German journalist Hanns Joachim Friedrichs famously remarked that “A good journalist does not allow himself to be taken in by any cause, not even a good one.” Although his aphorism applies to the media’s treatment of sustainable development as well, the media can nonetheless play an important role in promoting the concept of sustainable development and encouraging the requisite changes in behaviour. However, the media must see their role as that of a critical companion and maintain the professional noninvolvement required of journalists at the same time. In line with this approach, the media could support the principle of sustainable development in the following respects:
 

• Sustainability and incentives for sustainable behaviour should play a key role during journalism training, e.g. in relation to the criteria applied when selecting journalistic themes.
   
• The media should make it clear that every individual can support sustainable development by making changes in their every-day behaviour. Reporting should emphasise that changes in behaviour towards sustainable development do not necessarily reduce our quality of life. In this way, the media can help to overcome people’s reservations about a more sustainable lifestyle.
   
• The media can make a major contribution, through their programmes and content, by identifying negative developments and conveying a positive image of a sustainable lifestyle. In order to promote sustainable behaviour, reporting should focus especially on raising awareness of the need for sustainable development, e.g. by presenting practical examples of sustainable action, identifying negative developments and structural barriers to sustainability, encouraging ownership, and demonstrating the positive effects of sustainable behaviour on people’s own quality of life.

In particular, the quality press, with its own critical research capacities, can play a pioneering role in promoting incentives for sustainable behaviour and ultimately encourage a rethink on policies in this area. The following measures can also be considered for more intensive promotion of sustainable development:
 

• Establishing sustainable development as a governing principle in the programming mandate: The programming principles applicable to the German media incorporated under public law contain clear guidelines on the treatment of topics such as fundamentalism, xenophobia and youth protection. Sustainable development could be adopted as one of these principles and included in journalists’ training manuals.
   
• Integrating the principle of sustainable development in the selection, processing, production and publication of journalistic content.
   
• Integrating the principle of sustainable development into the German Press Code: for example, the current Guidelines for publishers and journalists issued by the German Press Council (Press Code) contain ethical standards which must be adhered to in reporting on topics such as discrimination, medical issues and youth protection. These standards could be extended to sustainable development as well.