3619 Results
Quotes
Quotes based on international documents, law, and treaties- "The disclosure of information identifying a source should not be deemed necessary unless in can be convincingly established that: i. reasonable alternative measures to disclosure do not exist or have been exhausted by the persons or public authorities that seek the disclosure, and ii. the legitimate interest in that disclosure clearly outweighs the public interest in the non-disclosure, bearing in mind that: an overriding requirement of the need for disclosure is proved, the circumstances are of a sufficiently vital and serious nature, the necessity of the disclosure is identified as responding to a pressing social need, and member states enjoy a certain margin of appreciation in assessing this need, but this margin does hand in hand with the supervision by the European Court of Human Rights."
- "Public authorities should refrain from interfering in the activities of journalists and other media personnel with a view to influencing the elections."
- "The international obligations presuppose freedom of expression including access for the media to information and freedom to independently report on matters of public interest."
- "Journalists have an important role to play in providing independent coverage of public assemblies. As such, they must be distinguished from participants in the event, and be given as much access as is possible by the authorities."
- "Special restrictions on commenting on courts and judges cannot be justified; the judiciary play a key public role and, as such, must be subject to open public scrutiny...Courts and judicial processes, like other public functions, are subject to the principles of maximum disclosure of information which may be overcome only where necessary to protect the right to a fair trial or the presumption of innocence."
- "The Parties [States], in the spirit of co-operation and mutual assistance which underlies this Convention, shall endeavour to avoid that programme services transmitted or retransmitted by a broadcaster or any other legal or natural person within their jurisdiction, within the meaning of Article 3 [defining jurisdiction], endanger media pluralism."
- "The freedom and pluralism of the media shall be respected."
- "Monopolies or oligopolies…conspire against democracy by limiting the plurality and diversity which ensure the full exercise of people's right to information."
- "States should adopt effective measures to avoid undue concentration of media ownership, although such measures shall not be so stringent that they inhibit the development of the media sector as a whole."
- "Freedom of expression imposes an obligation on the authorities to take positive measure to promote diversity, which include among other things: Availability and promotion of a range of information and ideas to the public; pluralistic access to the media and other means of communication, including by vulnerable or marginalised groups, such as women children and refugees, as well as linguistic and cultural groups."
- "Declare that in the field of information and mass media they seek to achieve the following objectives: d. the existence of a wide variety of independent and autonomous media, permitting the reflection of diversity of ideas and opinions."
- "Member States agree to create political and economic environment conducive to the growth of pluralistic media."
- "An independent and diverse media sector is the best way to ensure that a wide range of opinion and viewpoints are expressed and communicated to the public."
- "The media therefore have a great deal of responsibility placed on them during election periods, and it is essential that the mass media of radio, television and newspapers provide a sufficient level of coverage of the elections that is fair, balanced and impartial, so that the public are informed of the whole spectrum of political opinions and ideas."
- "Sufficient 'space' should be allocated to broadcasting uses on different communications platforms to ensure that, as a whole, the public is able to receive a range of diverse broadcasting services…Different types of broadcasters--commercial, public service and community--should be able to operate on, and have equitable access to, all available distribution platforms."
- "In recognition of the particular importance of media diversity to democracy, special measures, including anti-monopoly rules, should be put in place to prevent undue concentration of media or cross-media ownership, both horizontal and vertical."
- "Effective measures should be adopted to prevent undue concentration of media ownership."
- "An independent and pluralistic media is essential to a free and open society and accountable government."
- "Calls upon all States: (h) To promote a pluralistic approach to information and multiple points of views through encouraging a diversity of ownership of media and of sources of information, including mass media, through inter alia, transparent licensing systems and effective regulations on undue concentration of ownership of the media in the private sector."
- "During electoral campaigns, regulatory frameworks should encourage and facilitate the pluralistic expression of opinions via the broadcast media."
- "A monopoly or excessive concentration of ownership of media, in the hands of a few is to be avoided in the interest of developing a plurality of viewpoints and voices; State-owned media have a responsibility to report on all aspects of national life and to provide access to a diversity of viewpoints."
- "Access by the public to information should be guaranteed by the diversity of the sources and means of information available to it, thus enabling each individual to check the accuracy of facts and to appraise events objectively. To this end, journalists must have freedom to report and the fullest possible facilities of access to information."
- "Transparency should be a hallmark of public policy efforts in the area of broadcasting. This should apply to regulation, ownership, public subsidy schemes and other policy initiatives."
- "Encouragement should be given by public authorities or, as appropriate, by those engaged in the practice of journalism, to: d) transparency in regard to: the ownership structures of the various media enterprises and the relationships with third parties who have influence on the editorial independence of media."
- "Members of the public should have access on an equitable and impartial basis to certain basic information on the media so as to enable them to form an opinion on the value to be given to information, ideas, and opinions disseminated by the media."
- "Transparency in regard to application for the exploitation of broadcasting services may be guaranteed by including provisions in national legislation obliging applicants for the operation of a radio or television broadcasting service to provide the service or the authority empowered to authorise the operation of the service with information which is fairly wide-ranging in its scope and quite precise in its content. the information which may be subject to disclosure may be schematically grouped into three categories: first category: information concerning the persons or bodies participating in the structure which is to operate the service and on the nature and the extent of the respective participation of these persons or bodies in the structure concerned; second category: information on the nature and the extent of the interests held by the above persons and bodies in other media or in media enterprises, even in other economic sectors; third category: information on other persons or bodies likely to exercise a significant influence on the programming policy of this service by the provision of certain kinds of resources, the nature of which should be clearly specified in the licensing procedures, to the service or to the persons or bodies involved in the latter's operations."
- "Where media is owned by political parties or politicians, member states should ensure that this is made transparent to the public."
- "1. Anyone injured by inaccurate or offensive statements or ideas disseminated to the public in general by a legally regulated medium of communication has the right to replay or to make a correction using the same communications outlet, under such conditions as the law may establish. 2. The correction or reply shall not in any case remit other legal liabilities that may have been incurred."
- "Each transmitting Party [State] shall ensure that every natural or legal person, regardless of nationality or place of residence, shall have the opportunity to exercise a right of reply or to seek other comparable legal or administrative remedies relating to programmes transmitted by a broadcaster within its jurisdiction, within the meaning of Article 5 [defining jurisdiction]. In particular, it shall ensure that timing and other arrangements for the exercise of this right or other comparable legal or administrative remedies shall be ensured both as regards the timing and the modalities."
- "Every person has the right to access information about himself or herself or his/her assets expeditiously and not onerously, whether it be contained in databases or public or private registries, and if necessary to update it, correct it, and/or amend it."
- "In order to respect freedom of opinion, expression and information and in order that information may reflect all points of view, it is important that the points of view presented by those who consider that the information published or disseminated about them has seriously prejudiced their effort to strengthen peace and international understanding, to promote human right or to counter racialism, apartheid and incitement to war be disseminated."
- "The practice of journalism in a genuine democracy has a number of implications. These implications, which are already reflected in many professional codes of conduct, include: d) rectifying any published or broadcast information which subsequently proves to be grossly inaccurate."
- "1. Any natural or legal person, irrespective of nationality or residence, should be given the right of reply or an equivalent remedy offering a possibility to react to any information in the media presenting inaccurate facts about him or her and which affect his/her personal rights. 2. The request for a reply should be addressed to the medium concerned within a reasonably short time from the public action of the contested information. The medium in question should make the reply public without undue delay. 3. The reply should be given, as far as possible, the same prominence as was given to the contested information in order for it to reach the same public and with the same impact. 4. The reply should be made public free of charge for the person concerned."
- "Given the short duration of an election campaign, any candidate or political party which is entitled to a right of reply under national law or systems should be able to exercise this right during the campaign period."
- "The media have a duty to offer a right of reply to statements that are inaccurate or offensive, and they must be able to exercise this right of reply during the campaign period. As a matter of fact, this obligation is particularly important during the election campaign as all views should be put across and reported correctly to the voters in order to allow them to make an informed choice."
- "Any regulatory body established to hear complaints about media content, including media councils, shall be protected against political, economic or any other undue interferences."
- "A public complaints system for print or broadcasting should be available in accordance with the following principles: Complaints shall be determined in accordance with established rules and codes of conduct agreed upon by all stakeholders; and the complaints system shall be widely accessible."
- "[The regulatory body] should also investigate alleged violations and impose effective remedies when violations have occurred. There should be an efficient complaints procedure that provides corrective measures of both a self regulatory and statutory nature."
- "The murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats to social communicators, as well as he material destruction of communications violate the fundamental rights of individuals and strongly restriction freedom of expression. It is the duty of the state to prevent and investigate such occurrences, to punish their perpetrators and to ensure that victims receive due compensation."
- "Direct or indirect pressures exerted upon journalists or other social communicators to stifle the dissemination of information are incompatible with freedom of expression."
- "1. Attacks such as the murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and threats to media practitioners and other exercising their right to freedom of expression, as well as the material destruction of communications facilities, undermines independent journalism, freedom of expression and the free flow of information to the public. 2. States are under an obligation to take effective measures to prevent such attacks and, when they do occur, to investigate them, to punish perpetrators and to ensure that victims have access to effective remedies."
- "Public authorities should take appropriate steps for the effective protection of journalists and other media personnel and their premises, as this assumes a grater significance during elections. At the same time, this protection should not obstruct them in carrying out their work."
- "Governments have a general obligation to safeguard the physical security of all people within their jurisdiction. In addition, various statements in UN documents support a heightened obligation of governments to protect journalist and media offices from physical attack. The member of the UN, at the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna…among other matters, reaffirmed and strengthened their commitment to give effect to many of the fundamental rights set forth in the [UDHR]. Paragraph 25 of the Vienna Declaration is particularly relevant: [T]he World Conference encourages the increased involvement of the media, for whom freedom and protection should be guaranteed within the framework of national law...For the above reasons and owing to the particular importance during election campaigns of protecting the security of the mass media, including those that publish controversial views, governments must be especially vigilant during election campaigns to condemn, investigate and punish attacks against media personnel and property."
- "Administrations have a duty to protect journalists from attacks or intimidation and to enable them to work safely, without fear of reprisals for their reporting. Any form of violence against journalists (including harassment and intimidation), as well as any illegal actions interfering with media freedom, should be investigated and prosecuted."
- "Media workers who investigate corruption or wrongdoing should not be targeted for legal or other harassment in retaliation for their work."
- "Attacks such as the murder, kidnapping, harassment of and/or threats to journalists and others exercising their right to freedom of expression, as well as the material destruction of communications facilities, pose a very significant threat to independent and investigative journalism, to freedom of expression and to the free flow of information to the public.States are under an obligation to take adequate measures to end the climate of impunity and such measures should include devoting sufficient resources and attention to preventing attacks on journalists and others exercising their right to freedom of expression..."
- "Intimidation of journalists, particularly murder and physical attacks, limit the freedom of expression not only of journalists but of all citizens, because they produce a chilling effect on the free flow of information, due the fear they create of reporting on abuses of power, illegal activities and other wrongs against society. States have an obligations to take effective measures to prevent such illegal attempts to limit the right to freedom of expression."
- "It is essential that journalists and other agents of the mass media, in their own country and abroad be assured of protection guaranteeing them the best conditions for the exercise of their profession."
- "Any public authority that exercises powers in the areas of broadcast or telecommunications regulation should be independent and adequately protected against interference, particularly of a political or economic nature."
- "Calls on member states to: provide the legal, political, financial, technical and other means necessary to ensure the independent functioning of broadcasting regulatory authorities, so as to remove risks of political or economic interference."