OSCE holds workshop on Media Freedom and the Internet

VIENNA, 2 December 2002 - Freedom of the Media and the Internet was on top of the agenda of a one-day workshop held by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, in Vienna.

Six experts from Europe and the United States were invited to address the workshop participants, who engaged in a lively discussion about the possibilities and challenges the new information and communication technology poses to freedom of expression and its corollary, freedom of the media, in the OSCE region.

"All jubilant technological steps forward have proven to have two sides: on the one hand, very positive developments and on the other, strong warnings against possible negative consequences", Mr. Duve said. "The Internet has given new chances to millions of people, for example in the Arab world and in the Balkans, who so far have had no access to international media information."

"However there are significant warning signs including those which show that some governments are using new information technologies to work against media freedom in their countries. We have no final position on these negative developments as yet, but this meeting with experts showed us we are on the right track by taking on these electronic challenges of the 21st century."

The topics debated during the workshop, which was held on 30 November, included:

• universal access to Cyberspace - Strategies of the "Intergovernmental Council of the Information for All" Programme (IFAP) run by UNESCO;
• Council of Europe activities regarding new information and communication technologies;
• the diminishing importance of constitutional rights in the Internet age;
• the importance of the public domain for creativity, innovation, and culture;
• effects of September 11th on the Internet; and
• censorship and intellectual property rights in an international context.

The workshop has been a preparatory event for a conference on "Freedom of the Media and the Internet", which is intended to provide a broader context for a public debate on the issue. The conference, which will be organized by the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media, is scheduled to take place in Amsterdam, Netherlands in spring 2003.

The Vienna workshop was made possible thanks to a voluntary contribution from the Dutch Government. The participants of the workshop included experts of UNESCO, the Council of Europe, representatives from online media outlets, Internet service providers, and of specialized non-governmental organizations as well as scholars and advisers of Mr. Duve's Office. A publication on the results of the workshop will appear early next year.