This year’s World Press Freedom Day was marked by journalists, non-governmental  organisations, educators, campaigners and media professionals, who gathered at Portcullis House in London. UNESCO, who hosted the event, put forth the motion ´world media freedom is in retreat´. The OSCE´s Miklos Haraszti was among those who spoke for the motion; those debating against included political blogger Iain Dale. (04-MAY-07)

By Natasha Schmidt from Index on Censorship, who attended the event.

Those who opposed the motion drew attention to the diversity of the media and the sheer volume of material on a huge number of subjects available worldwide. According to Stephen Whittle, Chair of the Broadcast Training and Skills Regulator, journalists are ‘beginning to flex muscles’ as they haven´t been able to before. In Britain and elsewhere, Freedom of Information Acts have played an invaluable role in bringing forth many stories, and where FOI is enforced, it helps maintain a healthy media environment in which journalists challenge governments and tackle difficult but crucial issues.

´Democratisation´ through blogging?
Political blogger Iain Dale argued that we are enjoying a more independent, diverse media than ever before. The media is currently undergoing a huge transformation: the traditional split between print and broadcast journalism is continuously being challenged by the Internet and its ability to ‘democratise’ the press. With 70 million blogs online, and with blogs impossible to regulate, Dale was confident the Internet will continue to support free expression — the next challenge to tradition will be its ability to  break the monopoly on television broadcasting. The public, he said, was now part of the journalistic process.

But Valeria Toth from Hungarian National Radio responded to the celebration of the Internet with scepticism, pointing out that there were still huge parts of the world without access to the Internet.

Miklos Haraszti argued that the belief that the Internet is unstoppable is a myth. The Internet, he said, resulted in the ‘fragmentation of journalism’ and the environment of self-regulation it offers is ‘easy terrain for governments who would like to control the media.’

Russia: journalists under attack
Oleg Panfilov, Director of the Center for Journalism in Extreme Situations, raised the point that the first criminal case against a blogger was filed in the Russian Federation.  He went on to say that three criminal cases had been brought against online journalists in the Russian Federation over the last few months.

Tatiana Lokshina, Chair of the DEMOS Center for Information and Research, argued that the diversity and quality of the journalism in today’s media was due to the incredible determination of many of the journalists and their persistence in finding new methods of getting information out to the public, not because there was a climate that allows freedom of the press to flourish. In the Russian Federation, she said, objectivity is absent from news reports, news is the same on each channel, and independent newspapers have very low print runs. She cited the recent closure of Internews as an example of the dire situation in the Russian Federation.

Lokshina referred to Anna Politkovskaya’s murder in October 2006, and to other journalists who have been murdered, attacked or imprisoned for their work. Panfilov added that attacks against journalists were on the increase. Also discussed was the pervasiveness of self-censorship in the Russian Federation, as well as the ways in which advertising regulations are used to control the country’s press.

Journalist Stephen Dalziel spoke of the importance of understanding the responsibility that goes along with any press freedom. A previous Russian correspondent for the BBC, Dalziel cited the Russian Federation in the mid-1990s as a time when the media responsibility in the country was at one of its lowest points: during this time the press suffered from being extremely one-sided. It is erroneous to consistently link these aspects of the Russian press to the presidency of Vladimir Putin, he said.

United Kingdom: despite Freedom of Information Act, journalists are still stifled
Turning to the United Kingdom, Robert Hutchinson, Vice-Chair of the D-Notice Committee, spoke specifically about the Blair government and the Official Secrets Act. In many cases, the Act has served to stifle journalists and whistleblowers trying to publish information they strongly feel should be in the public domain. A failure to provide an adequate definition of what constitutes national security also compromised those working to inform the public. The UK’s defamation and libel laws were also attacked; British libel laws are notorious throughout the world. Furthermore, thousands of complaints have been lodged about various government officials not complying with guidelines set out in the Freedom of Information Act introduced in 2000. And Jonathan Fryer, president of the Association of Foreign Affairs Journalists, pointed out that surveillance of journalists has become increasingly easier, in Britain and elsewhere.

Author and previous BBC political correspondent Nick Jones spoke of the decline of the tradition of news-gathering in journalism, and warned against poor content in news. The concentration of media ownership and continued job cuts in editorial departments, together with the tendency to recycle rather than initiate stories painted a troubling picture of press freedom in 2007. The effective merging of journalism and public relations he cited as a worrying trend.

´Hopeful signs´
Others, such as Emily Taylor from Nominet, the body which registers Internet domain names in the UK, felt there were  ‘hopeful signs’ with regard to the future of free press around the globe. Others, such as Ivor Gaber, professor in media and politics and the University of Bedfordshire, pointed out the role of mobile telephones, Internet cafes and blogs for journalists and citizens in countries like Uganda. Free expression is in retreat in Uganda, he said, but the opportunities arising via technology were promising. Whittle celebrated the ‘engaged citizens and committed journalists’ who were essential to free expression, and added that journalism is an ongoing  ‘struggle’ and should remain so for its integrity to continue.

The delegates voted in favour of  the motion 57-18, registering significant concern about press freedom around the globe. The event ended with a reminder of those who have been killed, were victim of violence, or were imprisoned over the last year. Many expressed concern for the safety of BBC journalist Alan Johnston, still missing after his abduction in Gaza on 13 March.