The Freedom of Expression Project

The Opportunities and Challenges for Freedom of Expression seminar brought together 32 civil society activists, journalists and communications experts to explore freedom of expression issues the networked communications environment, with a focus on Europe.

Click here to read a report and the key outcomes from the seminar.

Programme of the event

Wednesday 14th February

0900 Purpose of Seminar

Introductions

Presentation on how people access information

1100 Break

1115 Presentation on how the communication environment is changing

1130 Panel One - Increasing access to information and debate

Question - Do digital communications create new possibilities for exchanging information and ideas and increasing accessibility, even in those countries where a free press does not exist?

This session will explore the claims that a new type of citizen journalism is emerging by-passing censorship by the state or commercial imperatives, opening up vast new areas of information. It will examine the challenge this poses to conventional media and will examine the case that the media are failing democracy. On the other hand is the public sphere of communication fracturing into incoherence – unmediated, unedited comment all too often disintegrating into conspiracy theory or uncivil behaviour?

Contributors – Charlie Beckett, Suw Charman, Agnes Callamard

1245 Lunch

1345 Panel Two - Civil society capacity building

Question. Do networked communications have the power to dramatically empower grassroots civil society and enable citizens to act in new ways? Or do they simply empower those otherwise excluded from normal discourse?

This session will examine case histories of internet use by NGOs, and examples of democratic action and potential through new technology, such as SMS in the Philippines. It will also consider the arguments of critics who say that those who benefit appear often to be terrorists, paedophiles, or repressive government-sponsored agents. What is the net neutrality debate and why is it important?

Contributors – Becky Hogge, Gene Kimmelman

1515 Break

1530 Working groups - to tackle key questions identified in the previous session

Thursday 15th February

0930 Recap of Wednesday’s discussion

0945 Panel Three - Re-engaging citizens and government

Question. Do new communications allow politics and democratic activity to be revitalised by interactive communications and more direct relationships between governed and governing – e-government and e-voting?

This session will look at how modern interactive communications, alongside new information rights in law, can combine with e-government initiatives to rebuild relations between public administration and those it serves. But in the context of heightened concerns about security and the war against terror government can keep greater tabs on the electorate through electronic surveillance and violations of privacy, producing what maybe a negative effect overall.

Contributors – Stephen Coleman, Suw Charman

1115 Break

1130 Panel Three continued

Working group discussions

12:30 Lunch

1330 Panel Four - New cultural possibilities

Question: Are we seeing the democratisation and proliferation of arts, culture and educational content? Do new communication possibilities allow greater democratic control by artists over their product through self-marketing and production, and also allow people to access more diverse cultural production through facilitating long tail niche markets’?

This session will look at the potential cultural impact of new networked communications from self marketing of music on MySpace etc., self publishing of books, the vast amount of content on the net, and the Internet marketing of niche products. It will examine the importance of the intellectual property debate.

Contributors – Gene Kimmelman, Becky Lentz, Becky Hogge

1515 break

Panel Four continued - Working Groups

Friday 16th February

0900 Recap of previous day

0930 Evaluation and focus groups

1115 Next steps and key challenges for participants

1200 Wrap up and closing remarks

1230 Close