Asia: Media Freedom

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The Sixth Assembly
Regional Networking

Asia: Media Freedom

Organizer:      
 
Moderator:     
Roby Alampay – SEAPA (The Philippines)
 
Rapporteur:    
Roby Alampay – SEAPA (The Philippines)
 
Presenters:      
Premesh Chandran – Malaysiakini (Malaysia)
Owais Aslam Ali – Pakistan Press Foundation (Pakistan)
This workshop began with three opening presentations focused on obstacles faced by journalists in Pakistan, Malaysia, and The Philippines. Some journalists have not only been mistreated, but their lives have also been put in jeopardy because of the content of their reports; therefore, journalists are often unable to report the truth safely due to political sensitivity, ideology, and other factors. On the other hand, the Internet has revolutionized the media, giving rise to new problems, such as the need to define the line between public and private.  
 
Challenges
 
The workshop discussion identified the following areas in which challenges need to be addressed:
 
  • National Security 
  • Religion/race/ethnicity/"social harmony"
  • Internet
  • Impunity for violence against journalists
  • Funding
  • Self-censorship
  • Independent Journalism
  • Media literacy
  • Media training, including in ethics
  • Independent judiciary
  • Civil society
  • Laws on blasphemy, insult, defamation of religion, lese majeste, etc.
  • Privacy
  • Capacity building for technical security
  • Media defense
  • Citizen journalism and community-generated commentary
  • Cross-border susceptibility
  • Journalism in crisis situations
  • Rule of law
  • Police capacity
  • Media ownership
  • Independent media development
  • Weak markets
  • Economic conditions for media
Recommendations
 
Taking into consideration the framework for action on “Defending Civil Society in Asia through Media,” adopted on 18 September 2009 at the third biennial conference of the World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA) in Seoul, South Korea, the participants emphasized the need for greater engagement between civil society and media NGOs.  They agreed that civil society organizations, the media, and media NGOs share common concerns regarding the rule of law; media literacy; and the need for more linkages and engagement between and among different sectors, including government, media, and civil society.  As an overarching concern, the workshop participants agreed to recommend greater engagement on the promotion of the rule of law, as well as the need to explore possible activities to promote the rule of law to benefit, strengthen, and protect civil society and independent media simultaneously.