THE DECISION to ban television cameras from parliamentary committee meetings has received a mixed reaction from deputies while private television stations Sigma, Antenna and Mega have decided to boycott all coverage of committee meetings in protest.
House Speaker Demetris Christofias described Thursday’s decision as “vitally important and a significant step towards putting into order the correct running of house committees”.
He added there were times when television cameras would often get cut-away images, used to mask jump cuts, of committee members looking bored, laughing or yawning. He added these kinds of images gave the wrong kind of impression of the reality of the meetings.
Press and radio journalists will still have full access to meetings, while statements will be made to the cameras once the meetings are over.
The House Speaker yesterday snubbed a request from Journalists’ Union chief Andreas Kannaouros for the decision to be postponed and re-discussed, saying the Journalists’ Union could not request that parliament decisions to be put on ice. Christofias added that no government in Europe allowed cameras to film house committee meetings in process, noting the British government’s strict rules on parliamentary coverage.
Backing Christofias yesterday, AKEL spokesman Nicos Katsourides said the filming of meetings did not offer a service to the community.
“It is the right of parliament to impose rulings, just like any other authorising administration or organisation. The mass media does not get affected in the least by this action but instead improves the quality of house committee meetings. The filming of actual meetings word-by-word does not offer any kind of service to the public. Some people coming to house committee meetings do not feel comfortable about being filmed while discussing issues, and these people are not just deputies.”
Also agreeing with the decision to blank out television cameras was EDEK chairman Yiannakis Omirou, who said “in the past, committee members would get distracted by the presence of television cameras; the decision was aimed at making sure that committee members can do their jobs properly.”
But Kannaouros said the decision would restrict the freedom of the press in Cyprus, having a negative effect on the information being relayed to the public.
“It is a decision that will only have a negative bearing on the way the news is being shown to the public. You cannot have a television news story with pictures. What is it exactly that parliament is so concerned about? Various committee members have given different excuses as to why they have forbidden us to cover meetings.”
Countering Christofias’ comments that cut-away scenes during news bulletins were giving the wrong impression to audiences, Kannaouros said television stations respected private moments but that arguments between committee members were news and had to be shown.
“We understand that there might be a private moment like, for example, when a committee member is scratching his head, for example, and we respect that. But when, for example, members are shouting or ranting and even come close to blows at times, then the citizens of Cyprus have a right to know that.”
Equally unimpressed with the ruling was Green Party deputy George Perdikis, who described parliament’s decision as “hypocritical”.
“The decision is hypocritical in my opinion. Not all the events that come out of meetings are bad things. Some deputies are doing a very good job and need to be heard. With this new ruling we will not hear what is being said by that person. It seems that instead of moving forward as a democracy, we are making steps backwards,” Perdikis said.
Also in disagreement with the decision were DIKO deputy Zacharias Koulias and DISY deputy Eleni Theocharous.
In a joint press release issued yesterday, private television stations Mega, Sigma and Antenna protested against the decision, declaring they would not be giving any coverage to house committee meetings.
