FYI----- Original Message ----- From: Tracey Naughton To: bureau@wsis-cs.org Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 4:27 AMSubject: [CS Bureau] Media Caucus textTo follow is the Media Caucus text, in English. This text will be the basis= for interventions on Financing, Internet Governance and the Political Chap=eaux.Statement to WSIS II PrepCom 2 on behalf of the Media CaucusFebruary 21, 2005The members of the Media Caucus, including Northern and Southern journalist=s of both the industrialized and developing worlds, have expressed their de=ep concern that the texts currently under consideration for the second phas=e of the World Summit on the Information Society make only a passing and am=biguous reference to the central place of the media in that information soc=iety.We hold strongly that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Righ=ts must be reaffirmed. Not only that, we concur in the statement by African= and Arab and international journalists groups in their recent Declaration =of Marrakech - held under the aegis of ORBICOM, the international network o=f UNESCO Chairs in Communication, and the Kingdom of Morocco, with the supp=ort of UNESCO -- that "The time has come to move from the promise of Articl=e 19 to its universal implementation."We recall that Article 19 states, "Everyone has the right to freedom of opi=nion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without i=nterference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through a=ny media, and regardless of frontiers." The member states of the United Nations are all committed to those fine wor=ds. They must all now honour those commitments. If they do not, then tomorr=ow's Information Society will prove to be an empty shell.This December's catastrophic tsunami illustrated that, to be effective, int=ernational solidarity requires an immediate and truly free flow of informat=ion. The same principle applies to longer term development. There can be in=formation without development, but there cannot be effective development wi=thout full and free information.Journalists and their outlets in the North and the South must have the same= opportunities to transmit their news and comments. That is a large part of= what overcoming the digital divide is all about.It is also important that there be no legal bars for anyone to practice jou=rnalism freely, on or offline. Access to publicly held information must be =provided to all on an equal basis. Any exceptions to the general rule that =such information is publicly available must be precise, narrow and clearly =legitimate in the public interest.And the world of journalism must be given its rightful place at the table t=o discuss the future information society. It is both bizarre and unjust tha=t the Working Group on Internet Governance does not number a single journal=ist. Consideration of communication without communicators is like talking a=bout farming without consulting farmers. In the words of the Marrakech Decl=aration, "Representatives of the media must be involved as full partners in= any future Internet governance system."The term "governance" must not be allowed to become a code word for governm=ent regulation of Internet content. The system must not be reorganized to p=ermit this internationally nor to encourage it nationally. Any changes to t=he Internet governance system should not involve controls over content, nor= modifications of the Internet's technical "architecture" that facilitate o=r permit censorship of news or opinion. Nor should "self-regulation" be all=owed to become a surrogate for governmental regulation of content on the In=ternet.Security concerns must not serve as pretexts to limit freedom of expression= in cyberspace. Nor should considerations of "ethics" be allowed to become =a veiled way to justify censorship. To quote the Marrakech Declaration agai=n, "The creation of ethical norms is the sole responsibility of media profe=ssionals themselves." On a practical note, Internet Service Providers should not be held liable f=or the content of the messages they carry. The installation of filtering sy=stems must be an individual choice, not something imposed by authorities.The determination of what constitutes illegal content subject to punishment= must be left in the hands of independent courts administering laws that de=rive their legitimacy from universally accepted norms.Any alleged offense committed on the Internet should normally be tried unde=r the laws of and in the country where it originated, except for very clear= and well-defined special circumstances, like explicit and credible calls f=or violence elsewhere.Public and private aid providers and grantors should insist that there be f=reedom of expression and press freedom when they fund programs and projects= to help media and to overcome the digital divide.And, finally the general principle applied to cyberspace should be that the= Internet and other new media forms should be afforded the same freedom of =expression protections as traditional media. #Tracey NaughtonNYAKACommunication for Development Consultant201 Somerset hall239 Oxford RoadIllovo 2196South Africalandline & fax: +27 (0) 11 880 5030cell / mobile: +27 (0) 82 821 1771email: tracey@traceynaughton.com