Anti-terror campaigns menace press freedom
The only surprise here is the length of time it has taken the press to start publishing such observations:
"The global proliferation of anti-terrorist legislation [...] has made deep inroads into freedom of expression and media freedom," the International Press Institute (IPI) said in a statement...The IPI said it was also worried that press freedom and freedom of expression were not being given sufficient prominence at the UN-sponsored World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to be held in Geneva in December...It said the draft texts currently being negotiated for the WSIS did not recognise the importance of ensuring freedom of expression, as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights..."Instead, they [the texts] refer to highly troubling and discredited concepts such as 'right to communicate' and 'responsibility' and 'accountability' of news media," it said.
Whether lobbying for free expression has any effect on WSIS, or whether the authoritarian line persists remains to be seen.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s946559.htm
Tuesday, September 16, 2003. 8:13am
Item posted by AutoEditor at 11:25 am ::
