Mission, Vision & Strategy...

The MEDIA & SOCIETY FOUNDATION, at the origin of ISAS BC 9001 and ISAS P 9001 standards aims at fostering quality in the media industry, that is to enhance professional standards and practices at the managerial, editorial, production and programming levels. The philosophy is to provide media companies with a methodology and tools for self-evaluation and self-improvement through the design of their own system of quality measurement and improvement in order

• to be in compliance with the norms and standards they have voluntarily subscribed to;
   
• to prepare for the ISAS BC 9001 and/or ISAS P 9001 Quality Certification, and, if need be, for ISO 9001.

In the information age, media (print, broadcast and Internet) is playing a central role. It feeds the public debate, provides citizens with the information they need to shape their own opinion, contributes to economic and social development and has a decisive impact on the cultural life and heritage of all societies. Through ISAS BC 9001 and ISAS P 9001, the MEDIA & SOCIETY FOUNDATION aims ultimately to serve the public interest and give a boost to democracy in upholding quality within the media industry, that is fostering the best professional practices and good governance, in particular transparency and accountability.

Media and Society Foundation : Mission, Framework and Action Guidelines (approved by the Board on June 8, 2005)

1. The Media and Society Foundation (MSF) seeks the improvement of media quality at the service of democracy and development through a concerted action of industry professionals and experts across the world.
   
   
2. MSF develops and promotes quality management standards for the media, with an accreditation and certification system strictly independent from governments.
   
   
3. MSF is independent from any political, economic or ideological power.
   
   
4. MSF has no financial or commercial interest. Its expenses are covered through contributions from organizations concerned with media’s role in society and through a tax on certificates of conformity to the quality standards it promotes.
   
   
5. MSF has commissioned ISAS (International Standardization and Accreditation Services) to make sure its standards are in conformity with the ISO system and to watch over the certification process, particularly the accreditation of certification bodies and auditors and the registration of certificates of conformity, such information being made fully transparent through permanent, direct and free access to the organization’s website www.isas.org .
   
   
6. MSF has commissioned certification bodies (Det Norske Veritas DNV, Oslo, www.dnv.com ) to ensure the conformity check up of broadcasting and press companies candidates to certification to the quality standards it promotes.
   
   
7. MSF has commissioned Challenge Optimum S.A., Geneva, (www.optimum.ch) to provide consulting firms with methodology and training ensuring the uniform implementation, in every part of the world, of the quality standards it promotes.
   
   
8. MSF requires a strict separation between certification and consulting activities.
   
   
9. MSF has two organs : a Board, made of Swiss and international media professionals and experts, and an operational Direction.
   
   
10. MSF refers to a Standardization Committee representing the industry across the world to watch over the quality standards it promotes and their evolution in the light of practical experience and industry developments.
    
    
11. MSF seeks the cooperation and support of international professional media organizations.
    
    

Media and Society Foundation : Code of Ethics applicable to each actor of the certification process, whether permanent or occasional.

He or she must

1. Subordinate all his/her actions to the ultimate goal of the Foundation: to improve media quality in the service of democracy and development.
   
   
2. Never accept to have an ISAS certification audit in a company for which he or she performed a consulting job.
   
   
3. Apply the guidelines and follow the advice of the Foundation’s Board and Standardization Committee on the interpretation of specific media items in the standards promoted by the Foundation.
   
   
4. In case of doubt as to standards’ adaptation to regional conditions, seek the advice of the Foundation’s Board, who will rely on independent media experts, close to the region concerned.
   
   
5. Respect faithfully the confidentiality of information received from candidates to the certification process. Such information cannot be used without the formal agreement of the company involved.
   
   
6. When he or she accepts a mandate for a given company, inform this company of all personal data, financial information, or other circumstances which might lead to a conflict of interests (having an interest in a competitor, a financial interest in products which might be recommended to the company, personal relations within the company, mandates with competitors, whose identity must however remain confidential, etc.)