Guiding principles on diversity of content online

June 2021

On this page

Alternative version

Guiding principles on diversity of content online [PDF version - 950 KB]

List of acronyms and abbreviations

UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Introduction

This document aims to guide actions and measures that foster greater exposure to diverse cultural content, information and news online. This exposure to diverse content should contribute to a healthier public discourse, greater social inclusion within society, bolster resilience to disinformation and misinformation, and increase our citizens’ ability to participate in democratic processes. Diversity of content in this context is defined as a diversity of sources, ideas and perspectives, a variety of content types or genres, as well as the level of exposure and consumption of diverse content by an individual.

The guiding principles in this document are not legally binding and complement existing domestic and international obligations. They apply to a diverse group of stakeholders including governments, regulators, civil society organizations, media sector representatives and private sector companies, such as services operating online, whose primary purpose is to broadcast or distribute content or share user-generated content online.

These guiding principles have been developed by a multi-stakeholder working group, in consultation with subject matter experts. They cover four themes deemed essential to the promotion of diversity of content online:

  1. Creation, access and discoverability of diverse content online
  2. Fair remuneration and economic viability of content creators
  3. Promotion of diverse, pluralistic sources of news and information as well as resilience against disinformation and misinformation
  4. Transparency of the impacts of algorithmic treatments of online content.

By endorsing these guiding principles, the signatories agree to implement them within the scope of their responsibilities. Signatories also agree to pursue their engagement by developing specific commitments by December 2022 at the latest, to show concrete actions they will take to implement the guiding principles.

Acknowledgements

Signatories endeavor to integrate the following core values in the implementation of these guiding principles:

Human Rights

Democracy and media freedom

Digital inclusion

Equity

The Principles

Theme 1 – Creation, access and discoverability of diverse content online

Theme 2 – Fair remuneration and economic viability of content creators

Theme 3 – Promotion of diverse, pluralistic sources of news and information as well as resilience against disinformation and misinformation

Theme 4 – Transparency of the impacts of algorithmic treatments of online content

Annex A: Specific Commitments (TBD)

Signatories also agree to pursue their engagement by developing specific commitments by December 2022 at the latest, to show concrete actions they will take to implement the guiding principles. These specific commitments will remain evergreen and continue to evolve.

Annex B: Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of all signatories to work together to achieve the objectives of these guiding principles.

Signatories will promote direct and open dialogue between partner states, the private sector, notably online platforms, media sector representatives and civil society on their responsibilities, in connection with the protection and promotion of exposure to diverse content online.

Signatories recognize that the following guiding principles aim to complement, and have been inspired by, existing regulatory texts and guidelines such as, but not limited to, the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and the Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the European Council Conclusions on Safeguarding free and pluralistic media systems.

Because these guiding principles are set in a rapidly evolving environment, it is essential to perceive them as a document for open guidance, to be revised and adapted according to the evolution of technologies and the societies they aim to help and protect. To interpret them correctly, it is important to keep the following points in mind:

Annex C: Definitions

For the purposes of this document, the following terms will be interpreted as:

Principles
Principles are deemed to be a set of propositions or values that serve as a guide for expected behaviors or outcomes.
Equity-deserving groups
Equity-deserving individuals and groups are defined as those facing significant barriers to participation in different facets of society, primarily due to policies and practices that produce inequitable treatment. This marginalization could be created by attitudinal, historic, social, economic, legal and/or environmental obstacles, based on such factors as age, ethnicity, disability, economic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation and transgender status. Equity-deserving individuals and groups are those who face barriers to equal access, opportunities and resources due to disadvantage and discrimination created by institutions, systems, narratives and individuals in power.
Discoverability
Ability to find content on a platform catalogue or via search engines (findability), the potential of content to appear in the hits of aggregation or collaborative filtering systems (predictability) and the potential for content to be recommended by the platform or other users based on their preferences (recommendability).
Diverse content
Content from a plurality of sources, diversity of types and genres of content from creators of diverse backgrounds, as well as exposure diversity, meaning the level of exposure and consumption of different content by an individual.
News content
Content that reports, investigates or explains issues or current events of public significance and interest, and that is relevant for engaging citizens in public debate and in informing democratic decision-making.
Disinformation
False or misleading content that is spread with an intention to deceive or secure economic or political gain and which may cause public harm. Misinformation is false or misleading content shared without harmful intent though the effects can still be harmful, e.g., when people share false information with friends and family in good faith.
Transparency
Transparency under this theme is referring to sharing sufficient information and a reasonable justification of the factors and logic that influence decisions and outcomes.
Digital Inclusion
The full and meaningful access to and use of digital technologies and the Internet, requiring not only the availability of physical infrastructure and access in terms of speed, cost, language and literacy, but also online spaces conducive to civic participation free from censorship and the ability to trust industry and governments will keep users safe from online harms and violations of privacy.

Page details

Date modified: