Vienna (OTS) – The ORF Audience Council decided on the following recommendations in its plenary meeting on Thursday, March 14, 2024, chaired by Mag. Walter Marschitz:
Recommendation from the Public Council on the topic of health
According to the results of the ORF audience council studies, the program’s mission to provide information on health topics is viewed by the audience as one of the most important. The ORF is currently taking this into account in a variety of ways and in a wide variety of formats on all broadcast channels.
The understanding of health is changing. A modern understanding of health goes far beyond the absence of disease. It understands health promotion as a process, establishes a connection to other policy areas under the term “health in all policies” and includes the social determinants of health through to “planetary health”. The convergence of biotechnology and information technology as well as the use of artificial intelligence is currently changing healthcare services and medicine at great speed.
With regard to health in Austria, there is still a great need for action, as evidenced by the fact that the number of healthy years of life in this country is below the European average. There are further differences depending on gender, income position and origin. These developments can be attributed to factors such as socio-economic stress, available resilience, access to health care and individual health actions such as nutrition, alcohol consumption, smoking or exercise.
Counteracting this can only be achieved with the cooperation of all actors in the health sector and beyond. The ORF has a specific role in informing the population because of the trust placed in it and its reach. To the same extent, the ORF’s public service mandate is effective in journalistic contributions about health-damaging or health-promoting conditions in work, the economy and society.
The central challenge is, in particular, to reach those target groups who are most at risk of illness and who might need health information the most in everyday life, as well as those who are difficult to reach via ORF’s traditional channels (e.g. young people). . The ORF is particularly challenged here in its efforts to be an “ORF for everyone”. An important goal is to increase the health literacy of the population – in which Austria has a need to catch up compared to other European countries. Further goals would be to address barriers for disadvantaged groups, to address access to health care for all and to provide information about examples of health-promoting environments in the everyday life of the population. This would comprehensively strengthen prevention and personal responsibility in an “ORF for all”.
Based on the meeting on the health program mandate on September 21, 2023, the ORF Audience Council therefore recommends including the following points in the further development:
- Orientation on the 15 quality criteria for good health communication in Austria developed by leading health institutions
- strict orientation towards relevant current scientific evidence (but with the point that this is also subject to a certain development)
- Orientation towards a comprehensive concept of health that focuses on the diverse factors influencing health (determinants of health), as stipulated, for example, by the Austrian health goals (https://gesundheitsziele-oesterreich.at/)
- Stronger integration and coordination of health topics in the ORF’s individual broadcast channels
- Targeted temporal focus on specific key topics within the framework of signposted initiatives (e.g. “Fit, join in”)
- Better coordination of health-related priority topics with other actors in the healthcare system
- greater inclusion of participatory elements in the prioritization and design of health issues
- Expansion of offers for young people in formats and distribution channels where they can actually be reached and on topics that currently concern young people
- Appropriate anchoring and presentation of the topic of “health” in the ORF’s children’s programs
- Promote your own sporting activity through “participation” programs and increased reporting on (trendy) sports that encourage your own sporting activity
- Addressing health not only on the “reason track” but also on the “pleasure and lifestyle track”
- Use of co-benefits through cooperation with areas such as sport, environment, economy or social affairs
- sensitive and responsible handling of advertising in the health context, in particular the creation of transparency where certain interests exist
- Increased sensitivity in the presentation and handling of the topic of alcohol, especially in formats aimed at young people
- Development of our own ORF health tool within the framework of the new regulatory possibilities
Recommendation of the Audience Council on the program mandate “Appropriate consideration and promotion of social and humanitarian activities, including raising awareness of the inclusion of people with disabilities in society and the labor market”
Humanitarian activities
The ORF has been very active in the area of humanitarian activities for more than 50 years. With the brands LICHT INS DUNKEL for the topic of inclusion, NEIGHBOR IN NOT for the topic of foreign disaster aid and AUSTRIA HELPS AUSTRIA for domestic activities, for example in connection with flood disasters, the ORF collected 148 million euros in donations in 2022 alone. The “Licht ins Dunkel” association recently supported 480 projects that were implemented by 150 organizations. In addition, people with individual problems were supported in 5,800 cases, especially where there is currently no or insufficient public support.
The funds collected through these activities enable, on the one hand, the possibility of very rapid assistance, and on the other hand, the support of longer-term projects, innovations and changes towards an inclusive society.
In these 50 years there have been no scandals or negative incidents, which is also due to the fact that strong social organizations use their names to ensure that the funds are used correctly. They also enable efficient processing because these organizations already have the appropriate infrastructure and the necessary experience. The activities in the area of humanitarian broadcasting and the strong “social” brands are also very valuable for legitimizing the public mission and bring the ORF a close connection to civil society. They are an expression of an “ORF for everyone”.
The Public Council recognizes and supports these activities and expressly thanks those who have contributed and are involved in making them a reality.
The Public Council has the following suggestions and recommendations:
- Humanitarian broadcasting should be strengthened as an important pillar, expanded, strategically developed and provided with the necessary resources to enable further development. This involves, for example, broadcasting formats that are up to date and dealing with areas of tension that can arise between the requirements of fundraising and the presentation of success stories in connection with inclusion.
- Despite a high level of willingness to donate, which is evident in the ORF campaigns, Austria still has some catching up to do when it comes to international donations. The ORF’s activities should therefore make a contribution – beyond its own area – to promote the willingness in Austria to support people in need.
- In all of these activities, the ORF was and is not only the media partner of the sponsoring associations, but also an important developer of the brands. This should also be reflected in the design of the collaboration.
- The outstanding activities of the ORF in Humanitarian Broadcasting should be brought to the forefront in the discussion about and the promotion of the ORF contribution as well as in debates about the importance of the ORF’s role as a public institution.
inclusion
The accompanying reporting in the area of humanitarian activities – but not only there – makes an important contribution to raising awareness among the population on the topics of inclusion and accessibility.
The Audience Council expressly welcomes the effort not only to report on people, but also to let those affected have their say and shape things themselves, and encourages those responsible to consistently continue on this path.
The public council therefore recommends:
- The new opportunities through the use of artificial intelligence should be used to increase the expansion of barrier-free offerings (subtitling, simple language, translations).
- Journalists with disabilities should be able to work and shape more in the ORF editorial offices. Experiences from other broadcasters show that the view of the world based on specific life experiences has a significant impact on design and creates new media images. In addition, the attitude of non-disabled colleagues towards the topic of disability is changing in inclusive editorial teams. It is therefore recommended that a strategy be developed to increase the employment of people with disabilities in the coming years.
If the ORF law is changed, a reformulation of the program mandate should be considered; the current formulation is somewhat unfortunate because inclusion is anchored as a sub-point of humanitarian commitment.
Questions & Contact:
ORF office of the committees
(01) 87878 – DW 12251
publikumsrat.ORF.at