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[FYI] (Fwd) FC: Council of Europe on May 14 debates limiting media,




------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Wed, 24 Apr 2002 00:12:06 -0500
To:             	politech@politechbot.com
From:           	Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject:        	FC: Council of Europe on May 14 debates limiting media, speech
Send reply to:  	declan@well.com

On May 14, the Council of Europe (the U.S. is a non-voting member)
will debate limiting freedom of expression when it comes to terrorism.
The suggestions are phrased in the form of questions, but it's pretty
clear where whomever drafted them is going.

The text of the questions is here (and reproduced below):
http://www.humanrights.coe.int/media/events/2002/QuestionnaireCDMM(E).
rtf

Background on the Council of Europe:
http://www.politechbot.com/p-03159.html

-Declan

---

Questions concerning freedom of expression and information and
terrorism to be debated during the hearing to be held by the CDMM on
14 May 2002


I. 	Scope and limits of freedom of expression

A. Freedom of expression of persons suspected, accused or convicted of
terrorism

1.	What limitations on freedom of expression of persons suspected,
accused or convicted of terrorism may be justified?

B. Freedom and responsibilities of the media and the right of the
public to be informed

The following questions may call for different answers depending on
the nature of the media, its form or readership/audience. Furthermore,
the CDMM is interested in discussing these questions from the point of
view of both State regulation and self-regulation by the media.

1.	What limitations on the rights of the media or what specific
obligations for the media may be justified concerning:

(i)	the dissemination of statements from suspected or convicted
terrorists, (ii)	access to areas where terrorist acts have taken place
or where police or military personnel is active in combating
terrorism, (iii)	the publication/broadcasting of images of terrorist
acts or of the results of these acts, (iv)	reports on measures to
fight terrorism, (v)	the disclosure of journalists' sources of
information about terrorist activities.

2.	Do the media have specific obligations concerning respect for the
presumption of innocence of persons suspected or accused of terrorism?

3.	Do the media have a duty to be impartial when covering/reporting on
acts of terrorism?

II. 	Obligations of public authorities

1.	To what extent can it be justified for public authorities to
withhold information, or even present deliberately false information,
in order to fight terrorism?  Under what possible control and by whom?

2.	How can the public authorities best fulfil their obligation to
protect media professionals from being the victim of terrorist acts
and to investigate and bring to justice the authors of such acts?

III. 	How to promote active contribution by the media to intercultural
and inter-religious dialogue?

1.	Terrorist violence often arises from the perception (real or
supposed) that the community is a victim of injustice from a more
powerful enemy. Do the media have the responsibility to expose and, as
appropriate, dismiss such perceptions and to counteract prejudices,
and how can they best achieve this objective?

2.	How can or should the media play an active role in increasing
understanding between different ethnic or religious groups and thus in
preventing violent clashes and terrorism? Does television have a
specific role to play in this respect?  Can/should public authorities
support/encourage such initiatives and in the affirmative, how?

3.	Are there concrete examples of self-regulatory initiatives by the
media in order to promote better understanding between different
ethnic or religious groups?

4.	How to avoid media professionals (journalists, editors, etc.) being
influenced by ethnic, religious or other prejudices when reporting on
terrorism and related events?

IV. 	Possible action by the Council of Europe

1. 	What, in your opinion, could or should the Council of Europe do
regarding the above questions?

###

---

From: Paul Mobbs <mobbsey@gn.apc.org>
To: ir-l@gn.apc.org, apc-euroir-ws@gn.apc.org
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 21:03:07 +0100
X-Mailer: KMail [version 1.2]
Cc: declan@well.com
Subject: Council of Europe: Expression, Terrorism & Freedom of 
Communication on Net

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Hi all,

Some interesting info from Council of Europe... espacially Draft
Declaration on freedom of communication on the Internet

http://www.humanrights.coe.int/media/




Hearing on freedom of expression and terrorism

(10/04/02) The Council of Europe Steering Committee on the Mass Media
(CDMM) has decided to organise a hearing on media and terrorism on 14
May 2002. The objective is to examine whether any policy or other
initiative should be taken by the Council of Europe in this specific
area in order to ensure respect for Article 10 of the European
Convention on Human Rights.

For this purpose, the CDMM has prepared a list of questions (EN / FR),
which is being circulated to a large number of interested
organisations from the media and other relevant sectors.


Draft Declaration on freedom of communication on the Internet

  (09/04/2002) The Group of Specialists on on-line services and
  democracy has
decided to invite the public to comment on a draft Declaration on
freedom of communication on the Internet (EN /  FR). Please send your
comments to the Media Division by 1 May 2002.



Charter to protect journalists working in dangerous conditions

  (14/03/2002) Reporters Without Borders (RSF) published today a
  Charter for
the Safety of Journalists Working in War Zones or Dangerous Areas
aimed at averting or at least reducing the risks that war reporters
run in the course of their work. The press freedom organisation is
asking editors to adopt it and observe it. The Charter is downloadable
from the RSF website.


<SNIP>


- --
- -------------------

"We are not for names, nor men, nor titles of Government, nor are we
for this party nor against the other but we are for justice and mercy
and truth and peace and true freedom, that these may be exalted in our
nation, and that goodness, righteousness, meekness, temperance, peace
and unity with God, and with one another, that these things may
abound." (Edward Burroughs, 1659 - from 'Quaker Faith and Practice')


Paul Mobbs, Mobbs' Environmental Investigations,
3 Grosvenor Road, Banbury OX16 5HN, England
tel./fax (+44/0)1295 261864

email - mobbsey@gn.apc.org
website - http://www.fraw.org.uk/mobbsey.html
public key - http://www.fraw.org.uk/keylist.html

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