==================BEGIN FORWARDED MESSAGE================== ---------- > Date: Tuesday, April 18, 2000 09:12:42 > From: Steven Clift > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [DW] Internet Censorship Newest Threat to Press Freedom, > Survey Warns > > > *** Democracies Online Newswire - http://www.e-democracy.org/do *** > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 15:44:09 +0200 > From: Roland Kovats <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Steven Clift <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: Freedom House Press Release > > Steve: > > Per your request, below is the latest Freedom House press release with > special focus on Internet freedom. It is also available on FH's website in > html format at: > http://www.freedomhouse.org/news/pr041700.html > > Leonard Sussman's essay entitled "Censor Dot Gov: The Internet and Press > Freedom 2000 is at: > http://www.freedomhouse.org/pfs2000/sussman.html > > while the full press freedom survey can be reached at: > http://www.freedomhouse.org/pfs2000/ > > Thanks for picking up on this and please let me know if you have additional > interest in FH. > > Yours, > > Roland Kovats > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > 120 Wall Street > New York, NY 10005 > Tel: 212-514-8040 > Fax: 212-514-8055 > www.freedomhouse.org > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > Contact: Michael Goldfarb > (212) 514-8040 > > Internet Censorship Newest Threat to Press Freedom, Survey Warns > > World Press Freedom Day, May 3 > > New York -- In a new report, Freedom House warns of increased efforts by > many governments to restrict Internet access on the pretext of protecting > the public from pornography, subversive material, or violations of national > security. The study, which assesses freedom of the press in 186 countries, > calls freedom of Internet access "the newest test of a government's will to > encourage and sustain press freedom," and warns that restrictions on access > threaten further controls over traditional news media. > > In order to restrict Internet access, governments may require special > licensing and regulation of Internet use, limit Internet traffic to > filtered government servers, remove controversial pages from websites, and > even apply existing press laws to Internet content. > > * Last year in Russia, the successor to the KGB began forcing Internet > service providers (ISPs) to install surveillance equipment. > > * Burma's "cyberspace warfare center" hacks into computers that receive or > send forbidden messages. > > * Chinese "cyber-dissidents" have been imprisoned. > > * In many Middle Eastern countries, where official censorship of > traditional media still largely applies, access to the web is restricted to > government servers, and thus subject to surveillance. > > The Internet is "the most formidable challenge to the censor," according to > Leonard R. Sussman, coordinator of the 22nd annual press freedom survey. > "But many governments fear that granting individuals free access to > information diminishes state control and justifies central regulation." > > Mr. Sussman acknowledges that "even democratic governments do not have the > option of ignoring the Internet." Some regulation or systemization will be > necessary, he concludes, if only to keep the competitive forces flowing and > the economy developing. "The electronic infrastructure should be monitored > to prevent monopolization of the keys to accessing information and to > insure maximum volume and diversity of content. But government must keep > its hands off Internet content," says Mr. Sussman. > > The Findings > > The comprehensive survey of print and electronic news media reports that > nearly two-thirds of countries, accounting for 80 percent of the world's > population, restrict press freedom. This is a slight improvement over 1998, > but reflects less press freedom globally than was recorded in the mid-1990s. > > The study asserts that legal restrictions on the press are encouraged by > international covenants in Europe and Latin America, and by those who wish > to protect a society's cultural or religious values from "corruptive" > influences. Such laws empower officials to restrict journalists for alleged > national security, morality, or public health violations--which, Mr. > Sussman attests, are "often code names for opposition to the political or > religious establishment." > > The 2000 press freedom survey lists 69 countries (37 percent), representing > all continents, as having a free press. Partly free news media are found > in 51 countries (27 percent). In another 66 countries (36 percent), print > and broadcast systems are considered not free. > > Three countries improved substantially from 1998 to 1999. Bulgaria moved > from partly free to free, while Jordan and Turkey moved from not free to > partly free. > > Pakistan and Sri Lanka, on the other hand, registered major declines in > press freedom. Both moved from partly free to not free. > > Some 48 countries improved slightly within their categories, while another > 36 slightly declined. Of the 186 countries examined, 97 remained unchanged. > > The Freedom House survey is the only global assessment of press freedom, > comparing all countries using standardized, universal criteria. In each > country, the study examines the legal and administrative procedures > affecting news media, the degree of political and economic influence on > media content, and actual cases of press freedom violations. Measuring > print and broadcast media separately, the survey places each country in one > of the three categories: free, partly free, and not free. > > Regional assessments show free news media in 6 of 53 countries in Africa, 6 > of 24 in Asia, 20 of 21 in Western Europe, 9 of 27 in Eastern Europe/NIS, > 17 of 33 in Latin America, 1 of 14 in the Middle East, 2 of 2 in North > America, and 8 of 12 in the Pacific. > > Of the world's population, 1.253 million people (21 percent) enjoy access > to a free press. Some 2.357 million (39 percent) reside in countries with > partly free media, and 2.364 million (40 percent) live where the press is > not free. > > > New Concerns for Freedom of the Press > > As the survey went to press, four countries--Peru, Russia, South Africa, > and Yugoslavia--evoke new concerns, according to Freedom House. The > Fujimori regime in Peru has sharply increased assaults on independent > newspapers and broadcasters prior to the presidential election in April > 2000. The Russian press is restricted by wartime censorship, monitoring of > the Internet by security forces, and the creation of a press ministry > answerable to President Vladimir Putin. In South Africa, a human rights > commission has subpoenaed editors and journalists to discuss alleged racism > in reporting. The structure of the hearings and the inflammatory commission > papers suggest some future government enforcement of "training and > re-education" of journalists. In Yugoslavia, authorities have stepped up > their use of a 1998 press law to repress independent journalists. > > Freedom House released the 36-page text of its latest study, entitled > Censor Dot Gov: The Internet and Press Freedom 2000, along with an essay by > Mr. Sussman, the organization's senior scholar in international > communication. Also released was the poster-sized color Map of Press > Freedom 2000. The survey and map may be obtained from the Freedom House > offices in New York or Washington, D.C., or on the Internet at > www.freedomhouse.org. > > Freedom House supports the development of democracy and civil society. The > organization, in its 59th year, also produces Freedom In The World: The > Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties, which reports on 190 > countries, and Nations in Transit, a comprehensive study of civil society, > rule of law, and economic liberalization in 27 former Soviet-bloc > countries. Freedom House operates a Center for Religious Freedom in > Washington, D.C. and conducts training and exchange programs in democracy > building from offices in Budapest, Bucharest, Kiev, Riga, and Sarajevo. > > > At 03:50 PM 4/18/00 -0500, you wrote: > > > > > >I'll pass this along later this week to DO-WIRE. Do you have an all > >text version? > > > >Steve > > > >^ ^ ^ ^ > >Steven L. Clift - W: http://www.publicus.net > >Minneapolis - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Minnesota - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 > >USA - - - - - - - ICQ: 13789183 > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Program Officer > Freedom House Regional Office > 18 Menesi ut, Budapest 1118, Hungary > ph/f: (36 1) 385-3108, 385-0985, 466-9879 > cell: (36 30) 269-0460 > http://www.freedomhouse.org > http://www.ngonet.org > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** > *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** > *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** > *** To unsubscribe instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** > > *** Please forward this post to others and encourage *** > *** them to subscribe to the free DO-WIRE service. *** > ===================END FORWARDED MESSAGE===================
