S.L. 350.17 Art. 12 [

Introduction 1.1 These Requirements as to Standards and Practice have been made by the Broadcasting Authority in virtue of article 20(3) of the Broadcasting Act, Chapter 350 of the Laws of Malta.

1.2 There is no doubt that persons with disabilities are persons first and foremost, who have full human and civil rights, and are entitled to dignity and respect. The social exclusion of persons with disabilities by the majority is an example of social intolerance. The frank acknowledgement of differences is an important step in the attainment of an inclusive society. When disabled people seek to be addressed as persons, they are not negating their disability, but placing it in its context. The "news value" of disabled persons is their overcoming of the hurdles society puts in front of them. In so doing, they are making themselves less disabled, and also contributing directly to the mainstream of society.

1.3 A major contributory factor to disability is prejudice, stereotyping or "institutional discrimination" against disabled people. In this respect the media has enormous power to either perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice, or educate the public to have a more understanding, positive attitude towards disabled people.

1.4 It is the commonly accepted myths and stereotypes about disabled people that make disability an extraordinary thing. The common assumptions about disability focus on the disabled person’s lack of abilities. Indeed, the negative terms most frequently used to describe disabled people as: "crippled", "handicapped", "less fortunate", all accentuate the disabled individual’s biological (or medical) imperfections. All these negative terms compare disabled persons less favourably with their (presumably) more "fortunate" peers. 1.5 Even more "politically correct" designations, such as, "differently challenged", impaired, persons with special needs, etc, accent the disabled personís apartness, the disabled individual’s dislocation from the group and the community.

1.6 Many of the definitions of disabled people and disability have been created by non-disabled people who tend to equate S.L.350.17 IN THE BROADCASTING MEDIA

disability with the individual’s physical and/or intellectual impairments; that is, they focus on the biological, or medical aspect. So widespread is this belief that it is biological impairment and lack of function which create disability, that the World Health Organisation (in the early 1980s) based its own definitions on these assumptions. The whole focus of this viewpoint is on the individual and their perceived inadequacy. 1.7 However, over the last twenty years this viewpoint has been systematically and widely rejected, by disabled people and their organisations. They argue that by focusing on individual, medical inadequacies the so called "medical model" of disability holds disabled people themselves responsible for any difficulties they may encounter during the course of their daily lives. At the same time it totally ignores the restrictive environments and disabling barriers created, not by the disabled persons, but by a society in general.