Public service broadcasting: a best practices ... - unesdoc - Unesco

In Australia, it is a requirement that the cameras should focus on the member speaking and
shots should be no closer than head and shoulders. The Canadian guidelines stipulate much
the same. Cameras are told to ignore “deliberate misconduct designed to secure television
coverage.” And on occasions of grave disorder, the guidelines say, “the camera should focus
on the occupant of the Chair for as long as proceedings continue or until order has been
restored.” 53 The UK House of Commons rules are also very similar—neither interruptions
from nor demonstrations in the galleries should in any circumstances be televised. If such
an incident should occur, the director should cut either to a wide-angle shot of the chamber,
which does not show the offending incident, or to the occupant of the Chair. The press, public
galleries, officers and visitors boxes behind the Speaker’s Chair, not being directly related
to the proceedings, should not be shown other than unavoidably as part of wide-angle or
other authorized shots of the Chamber.
The Australian and British parliaments also prohibit the cameras from showing close up
shots of members’ papers. Most Commonwealth countries follow these guidelines.
6.6 MINORITY PROGRAMMING
A major role that PSB should perform is broadcasting for ethnic and religious minorities. In
most countries, programming for these sectors of the community is not commercially profitable
for private broadcasters, especially when most of these communities may be in the
lower socio-economic category.
To address this problem, in some countries there are dedicated ethnic or religious radio and
television channels. In some cases, these needs may be catered for through ‘window’ style
programming on national or regional PSB channels.
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