Future of Internet freedom at stake, warns OSCE media freedom representative

Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, called for concerted global efforts to keep the Internet, as a platform for exercising free expression and for independent media, accessible and free.

Speaking on "Internet freedom after WikiLeaks" in Paris at a UNESCO conference on journalism ethics in the digital age on 17 February 2012, Mijatović warned that "unless companies, governments and individuals are truly committed to a free Internet, we are likely to see the open Internet become ever more restricted, the choice and control over content taken away from users and put in the hands of those aiming at limiting access to information."

"As citizen reporters, bloggers, and social media activists are increasingly using technology to speak up and voice their opinion, their right to free expression through online media must be better protected,” she added.

The Representative was joined on the panel by Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion, and Expression and Mark Stephens, a former attorney for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

The two-day conference brought together media representatives, professional and “citizen” journalists and media law experts to discuss how the Internet and social media have changed journalism ethics.