Media – more than a mere commodity

As a media company, we have a particular responsibility. The content we create and disseminate on a daily basis is of great importance for understanding and assessing political and societal contexts.

Our viewers, readers and users trust us to present important events in an understandable way, to expose injustices, and to denounce wrongful conduct.

Quality as both an expectation and a claim

We know very well that our customers expect more from us than just reliable, professionally researched information. Sometimes, people merely want to be entertained or inspired: to immerse themselves in a book, get excited about what’s happening on the screen, or find new inspiration and ideas in a magazine or online community.

So many expectations and disciplines to live up to – but through it all we share one trait with our customers: the quest for quality. Quality undoubtedly has many facets and is likely at least partly in the eye of the beholder. There’s no accounting for taste, as the saying goes. For us, one important criterion is diversity across our full range of offerings. Another is that our work systematically caters to our customers’ wishes: We are committed to the principle of writing and broadcasting, printing and circulating, that which is relevant and interests people. And we do so in a discerning, factual and unbiased way – for quality cannot be achieved without professionalism and high standards.

Responsibility of the makers, responsibility of the users

Essentially, this professionalism is part of our particular responsibility. But taking responsibility can also mean setting boundaries: not everything that can be done can be justified. This is true both for information and for entertainment. Voluntary commitments such as RTL Group’s Editorial Guidelines reflect this. It goes without saying that we abide by the law in all countries. In addition, we strive, wherever democratic structures are only just emerging, to do our part to encourage the defining traits of a democracy – diversity, tolerance, and mutual respect.

However, responsibility in, with and through media is not limited to media makers. The buzzword “media literacy” hints at the responsibility of each citizen. And because media skills need to be learned, Bertelsmann companies have many individual projects in place around the world to help parents, teens and children deal responsibly with the great opportunities of media diversity.