Media-government co-operation crucial in fight against terrorism but not at expense of media freedom, says OSCE anti-terrorism chief

VIENNA, 5 October 2009 - The media play an important role in fighting terrorism and managing the consequences of terrorist attacks and so co-operation between the media and governments is vital, the Head of the OSCE's Action against Terrorism Unit told a conference today.

But Raphael Perl also told the conference, "The War on Words - Terrorism, Media and the Law", that this co-operation should never be at the expense of press freedom, which is central to functioning and pluralistic democracy.

"Neither governments nor media want to encourage panic in times of crisis. Neither wants inadvertently to promote intolerance, bigotry and racism," he said in a keynote address at the two-day event, organized by the Vienna-based International Press Institute and the Center for International Legal Studies of Salzburg. "We must be ever vigilant that the fight against terrorism is not used by states as an excuse to restrict media freedom."

Perl said the OSCE was instrumental in helping to uphold media freedom and his unit helped promote public-private partnerships in tackling terrorism. He noted the OSCE would be hosting an associated event - "Public-Private Partnerships: Engaging with the Media in Countering Terrorism" - on 19 and 20 October in Vienna.