W.j.c. Regrets Failure of U.N. Group to Ban Racial Propaganda

The World Jewish Congress today hailed the action of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and of the Press in adopting an International Code of Ethics for the press at last Friday’s meeting. However, the Congress expressed regret over the Sub-Commission’s failure to include a provision stressing the professional journalist’s duty to refrain from disseminating racial or religious propaganda.

In a statement before the Sub-Commission. Dr. Gerhard Jacoby, consultant of the World Jewish Congress to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said that the adoption of the code was an important step in the direction of implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, he pointed out that the code as adopted did not include a proposed article to discourage the use of public media of information for propaganda contrary to the principles of human rights.

Appearing before the Sub-Committee, Dr. Isaac Lewin, speaking in behalf of the Agudas Israel World Organization, drew attention of the group to the necessity of inclusion of the concept of race and religion in Article 4 of the Code of Ethics which imposes on reporters describing and commenting on countries other than their own “the duty of acquiring the necessary knowledge of such country which will enable them to report and comment accurately and fairly thereon.”

Dr. Lewin cited historic examples of harm and ordeals caused by inaccurate reports on religion, especially on Jewish religion. He asked therefore that the commission give an authoritative interpretation of the word country, in the code. The Rapporteur of the Sub-Committee, Dr. Azkoul, of The Lebanon, explained that he and a majority of the Sub-Committee understood the word country in the broad sense so as to include the whole concept of a people, its race and religion. The code will therefore impose the same obligations of fairness of reports and comments on races and religions as on countries, he said.