OSCE media watchdog presents book on media freedom and the Internet

VIENNA, 23 October 2003 - The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, has today presented the book "Spreading the Word on the Internet" at a meeting of the Organization's decision-making body, the Permanent Council, in Vienna.

"With the Internet and the worldwide web, a revolutionary technical infrastructure changed not only forms of individual communication but also the way news is distributed within countries and across borders," Mr. Duve said.

"What has not changed, however, is the principle of press freedom and the fact that free media are an essential part of modern democracies."

The book contains contributions from participants at the conference Freedom of the Media and the Internet that Mr. Duve's office held in June 2003 in Amsterdam.

More than 16 authors - including representatives from the OSCE, the Council of Europe, academia and non-governmental organizations from the U.S. and Europe - present their view on the state of media freedom and the Internet in the OSCE region, the regulation of decentralized networks, the technical and economic framework, and on how to ensure freedom of the media on the Internet in the future.

The challenge, Mr Duve noted, is to identify ways to prevent "hate speech" and crime on the Internet without restricting freedom of expression in any disproportionate way or form. Several studies show that filtering and blocking content on the Internet can not only be circumvented but is also simultaneously "under-effective" and "over-blocking". The book combines "16 answers to 4 questions" to give an exhaustive overview over different approaches and opinions.

"Illegal content cannot be tolerated and should be prosecuted in the country of its origin," the OSCE Representative added. "However, uniform standards cannot be imposed on a global medium at the level of the lowest common denominator. A developed infrastructure and the responsible use of it are the two crucial factors relating to media freedom on the Internet."

The Amsterdam Recommendations on Freedom of the Media and the Internet that were issued at the end of the conference can be found in this publication.

Additional information, the online version of the book and an easy way to order copies are all available at the Representative's website www.osce.org/fom.