Parliament, the Press and the People: The Case for a Fresh Start

ARTICLE 19 invites you to attend “Parliament, the Press and the People: The Case for a Fresh Start” delivered by Lord Puttnam.

ARTICLE 19, with the assistance of the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy at Oxford University, invites you to attend the first in a series of ARTICLE 19 Oxford lectures. The first lecture, entitled “Parliament, the Press and the People: The Case for a Fresh Start”, will be delivered by Lord Puttnam, renowned independent film producer. Alan Rusbridger, editor of the Guardian, will act as chair.

It will take place at the Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street, Oxford, on January 19, 2005, at 5pm.

ARTICLE 19, established in 1987 in London, is an international human rights organisation dedicated to the defence and promotion of freedom of expression and access to information through monitoring, standard setting and advocacy. We work with over fifty grass-root organisations in more than thirty countries.

ARTICLE 19 has pioneered free speech analysis relating to many aspects of our lives, including public health, environment, development and government accountability. Over the last three years, we have monitored with great concern the effects of the so-called “war on terror”, including the growth in anti-terrorist legislation and state secrecy laws. Intense pressures on journalists to be “loyal” and “patriotic” have strengthened self-censorship and deepened biases. Media censorship has resurfaced where we thought it had been extinguished. It has been given new impetus where we hoped it was dying.

ARTICLE 19 has also recorded globally the impact of economic globalisation on freedom of expression and the media. Commercial pressures and media concentration have resulted, the world over, including in the UK, in increased “sponsored” journalism, erosion of public service broadcasting, and a rise in populist and entertainment reporting. At the same time, we have also witnessed the capture of media by political or sectarian interests to inflame conflicts and propagate hatred.

These trends are not irreversible or inevitable. Come and join us for this unique opportunity to discuss with Lord Puttnam the fresh start and partnership required to tackle the national and global set-backs to freedom of expression and freedom of information.

Censorship and secrecy silence, starve, and kill. The right to speak and the right to know are not luxuries: they underpin all human rights and are central to achieving human development.

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