Freedom and transparency on the internet - Media Programme Southeast Europe
Event Reports
Free access and freedom of expression – that is what internet stands for in many countries. At an expert conference in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe stood up for the sustainable engagement of states for internet freedom. It should be guaranteed by not blocking or filtering content, said the Council of Europe in a statement. Non-government organizations had to be involved in internet policymaking.
The conflict between freedom and security on the internet was a central topic. Top-ranking speakers from various international organizations required that anti-terrorism measures are not being used as an excuse to restrict the freedom of opinions.
KAS expert Christian Spahr commented on the independence of online journalism. In order that online media can facilitate the opinion-making of citizens, transparency by media is necessary. In individual countries of South East Europe the real owners of news portals and internet firms are unknown. Covered advertisement in the editorial part is very widespread. In some countries, there are no laws about labelling paid content or the necessity of an imprint. Besides that, articles are often being copied and quoted without source references. "Citizens should know who actually informs them," said Spahr. "This is often not the case – one of the reasons for low trust in media." According to a KAS survey only twelve percent of Bulgarians believe in the independence of media.
Legal requirements for online media must prudently and cautiously be created, so that they cannot be misused for the restriction of media freedom.
The conference for freedom on the internet was co-organised by the German OSCE presidency. State Minister Gernot Erler (Foreign Office) welcomed the approximate 200 participants from numerous member states of the Council of Europe. Another keynote speaker was Dunja Mijatović, OSCE representative for freedom of the media.
