Who chaired the UNESCO commission that produced the 1980 report Many Voices, One World?

Seán MacBride. Correct because Irish statesman Seán MacBride chaired the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems. MacBride had shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974. The commission published Many Voices, One World in 1980. Read more: UN Specialized Agencies: Mandates and Headquarters

The McBride Commission: UNESCO’s Vision for a New World Information Order

UNESCO’s McBride Commission studied the world’s unequal information flows.

Its 1980 report demanded a New World Information and Communication Order.

Seán MacBride chaired the UNESCO commission behind Many Voices, One World. Photo: Rob Bogaerts / Nationaal Archief (Anefo) — CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The McBride Commission

IntlRel0162

UNESCO’s call for a New World Information and Communication Order.

1977

Commission set up

chaired by Sean MacBride

1980

Report published

‘Many Voices, One World’

1980

Belgrade debate

UNESCO General Conference

1984

US leaves UNESCO

over the NWICO push

Report ‘Many Voices, One World’ (1980).

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Must Know

The McBride Commission: what it was

Setting up the commission

1977UNESCO established the commission in 1977 to study communication problems.
NAMEIts official name was the International Commission for the Study of Communication Problems.
CHAIRIrish statesman Seán MacBride led the commission.
MEMBERSSixteen members came from different countries and regions.
NOBELMacBride had shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974.
MANDATEThe commission examined information flows between rich and poor states.

The report: Many Voices, One World

1980The commission published its report in 1980.
TITLEThe report was titled Many Voices, One World.
COUNTIt carried eighty-two recommendations for communication reform.
COREIts core demand was a New World Information and Communication Order.
ORDERThis order is widely known by the acronym NWICO.
STAGEUNESCO’s General Conference debated the report in Belgrade in 1980.

Why the imbalance mattered

FLOWNews moved mainly from the developed North to the developing South.
AGENCIESA few Western agencies supplied most world news.
VOICESDeveloping countries had little say in global media.
IMAGEThe South was shown through crises and disasters.
DEPENDENCEPoorer nations depended on imported news and technology.
RESULTThis one-way flow distorted how nations saw each other.

Good to Know

The aims and objectives of the commission

What the report wanted

BALANCEThe first aim was a balanced, two-way flow of information.
DEMOCRACYCommunication should be democratized, not dominated by a few.
DECOLONIZEThe report urged decolonizing information, not just territories.
TRANSFERTechnology and skills should flow to developing countries.
RIGHTSJournalists needed both freedom and responsibility.
SOVEREIGNTYStates should set their own media and communication policies.

The NWICO debate

SUPPORTNon-Aligned countries pushed the new information order.
CRITICSThe United States saw NWICO as a threat to press freedom.
FEARCritics said it would let states control the media.
DEFENCESupporters called it a fairer deal for the Global South.
1984The United States left UNESCO in December 1984.
1985The United Kingdom followed with its own exit in 1985.
REASONSBoth cited politicization and concerns over communication policy.
LEGACYUNESCO set up the IPDC in 1980 to fund media development.

Test Yourself

Great to Know

India’s position and the answer

India’s position on the commission

SUPPORTIndia welcomed the aims and objectives of the McBride Commission.
NAMNew Delhi backed the Non-Aligned Movement’s demand for a new order.
BALANCEIndia sought balanced flows that did not favour Western agencies.
DEVELOPMENTIt wanted communication technology to reach the developing world.
MEDIAState broadcasters then dominated India’s own media space.
STANCEIndia saw the order as a tool of media sovereignty.

India and the Non-Aligned Movement

ROLEIndia was a leading voice within the Non-Aligned Movement.
AGENDANAM summits demanded a new international information order.
POOLNon-Aligned nations floated a news agencies pool in the 1970s.
UNESCOIndia voted with the South in UNESCO’s NWICO debates.
CONSISTENTIndia’s support for the report matched its NAM diplomacy.
LEGACYThe stance still shapes India’s global media diplomacy.

Balancing the criticism

WESTWestern governments read NWICO as censorship in disguise.
PRESSFree-press groups feared state control of reporting.
SOUTHDeveloping states saw a genuine imbalance in news power.
MIDDLEA fair answer presents both readings of the order.
REALITYIndia’s media was then largely state-owned and state-controlled.
NUANCEThat context explains why New Delhi backed the statist order.

Answering the 2016 question

STRUCTURESplit the answer into aims, then India’s position.
AIMSState the aims: balance, democratization, and technology transfer.
REPORTName the report, the year, and the eighty-two recommendations.
INDIAExplain India’s NAM-backed support for NWICO.
CRITIQUEAdd the Western press-freedom objections for balance.
CLOSEEnd with the report’s lasting influence on media debates.

PYQ

Previous Year Questions

UPSC CSM 2016 GS Paper II, Q20

PYQAims of the McBride Commission and India’s position — UPSC CSM 2016, GS Paper II, Q20.
VIEWView this question.
ASKThe question asks for the commission’s aims and India’s stance.
PLANCover the 1980 report and its call for NWICO.
INDIAShow India’s NAM-backed support for balanced flows.
BALANCEWeigh Western press-freedom objections against Southern needs.