The United States is pleased to announce that it will host UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day event in 2011, from May 1 - May 3 in Washington, D.C. UNESCO is the only UN agency with the mandate to promote freedom of expression and its corollary, freedom of the press. The theme for next year’s commemoration will be 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The United States places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts. New media has empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events, and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals’ right to freedom of expression. At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information. We mark events such as World Press Freedom Day in the context of our enduring commitment to support and expand press freedom and the free flow of information in this digital age. Highlighting the many events surrounding the celebration will be the awarding of the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize at the National Press Club on May 3rd. This prize, determined by an independent jury of international journalists, honors a person, organization or institution that has notably contributed to the defense and/or promotion of press freedom, especially where risks have been undertaken. (Philip J. Crowley) http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/12/152465.htm so there you have it, that is why the states would like to see assange in town. guillermo cano not guantanamo /huffs
Oops, we would have loved to host this, but we eliminated the press already, you know, austerity and the economy and terrorism and all... sorry! Sciforums just christened that ship for her maiden voyage. Web 2.0
the announcement was made by Philip J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs. he also had this to say... A top official with the U.S. State Department said Sunday that the flood of diplomatic documents made public by WikiLeaks has serious consequences, including possibly putting anyone who speaks to U.S. diplomats at risk. Philip J. Crowley, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, told CTV's Question Period Sunday that the Internet whistle-blower site has harmed the careers and even the safety of innocent people. "Julian Assange is wrong and has really done great damage … in exposing these classified documents he is putting (our) sources at risk," Crowley said. "We have reached out to people around the world with whom we interact and have warned them about the potential ramifications. "We are going to be watching this closely." http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/lo...ghanistan-101205/20101205/?hub=TorontoNewHome hillary clinton had some comments about internet freedom earlier this year.... *As in the dictatorships of the past, governments are targeting independent thinkers who use these tools. In the demonstrations that followed Iran’s presidential elections, grainy cell phone footage of a young woman’s bloody murder provided a digital indictment of the government’s brutality. We’ve seen reports that when Iranians living overseas posted online criticism of their nation’s leaders, their family members in Iran were singled out for retribution. And despite an intense campaign of government intimidation, brave citizen journalists in Iran continue using technology to show the world and their fellow citizens what is happening inside their country. In speaking out on behalf of their own human rights, the Iranian people have inspired the world. And their courage is redefining how technology is used to spread truth and expose injustice. *And censorship should not be in any way accepted by any company from anywhere. And in America, American companies need to make a principled stand. This needs to be part of our national brand. I’m confident that consumers worldwide will reward companies that follow those principles. *And I’m proud that the State Department is already working in more than 40 countries to help individuals silenced by oppressive governments. We are making this issue a priority at the United Nations as well, and we’re including internet freedom as a component in the first resolution we introduced after returning to the United Nations Human Rights Council. *We are also supporting the development of new tools that enable citizens to exercise their rights of free expression by circumventing politically motivated censorship. We are providing funds to groups around the world to make sure that those tools get to the people who need them in local languages, and with the training they need to access the internet safely. The United States has been assisting in these efforts for some time, with a focus on implementing these programs as efficiently and effectively as possible. Both the American people and nations that censor the internet should understand that our government is committed to helping promote internet freedom. http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/01/135519.htm indeedly doodly
Gustav: Big difference between the internet freedom Clinton referred to above and posting classified diplomatic cables. Diplomatic cables, by nature, are considered private so that nations feel they can speak freely and openly. It is the same as if a person snuck into a bedroom, put a camera in your bathroom, and sent images across the internet. Would you be pissed? Not everything should be free press, and I am not sure why that is so hard for people to understand.
the only thing i am pissed about is your piss poor analogy these people are my bitches, i pay their salaries...i demand transparency what you want to do is screw someone over. that is why you demand that you be allowed to skulk around dark alleys dressed up in galoshes and trenchcoat /sneer
Show me a country with a press that is more free? And the enshrines that freedom in its founding documents?
What is your definition of transparency? I keep hearing this word in the Assange debate, and it is really beginning to irritate me. A nation that shares all of their diplomatic cables has achieved the necessary level of transparency and you feel this is required? Perhaps the United States can share all of its military technology with anyone who asks as well? Assange is an ego maniac who is more interested in getting his name on the evening news rather than worrying about the future of the young private Manning, who may spend the rest of his youth or more behind bars. Those who once worked for, and then left Wikileaks have stated as much regarding his narcissistic tendencies. Nations cannot share every detail that they perform behind closed doors simply because other nations, with other interests, will use this to their advantage. I have been ashamed of many of my government's actions, and I firmly believe that the CIA is a menace that needs to be disbanded. May I remind you, however, that those bitches whose salaries you pay for are much brighter and know a hell of alot more about the world then you or I do. Let go of the ego, you simply do not need to know everything....
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Egypt's decision to virtually shut down the nation's Internet access Friday marked an escalation in the growing battle between authoritarian governments and tech-savvy protesters, and posed a challenge to the Obama administration's policy of promoting Internet freedom. Egypt's five main service providers halted Internet access early Friday, and cellphone service was disrupted. The government "essentially wiped their country from the global map," James Cowie of Renesys, a New Hampshire-based company that monitors Internet data, said on its Web site. The move came a day after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had urged Egypt not to silence the social media that were being used to organize massive demonstrations. On Friday evening, President Obama said Egypt should "reverse the actions that they've taken to interfere with access to the Internet, to cellphone service and to social networks." (link) -------------------------------------------- Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Why should it matter what his interests and values or character flaws could be? Assange's media avatar is no more resolved than a clipshow consisting of incompleteness in spotty shades of cartoon. What can we conclude? When seeking the value(s, whether actualized or potential), shouldn't we incline to gauge the real-world effects (and effectiveness) of Wikileaks wiki'd leaks? Cocaine and hookers and paradigm-shifting exposés reverberating around the world. Yeah, that's some clublife the crazy bastard has.
Now that is what I am talking about . On my birth day no less. Brake information silo's . It is your duty as a free person ! get busy now or I will spank you and even though you like it when I do , this particular spank may hurt you more than you think. Shut up spidy , go talk to moose hole Sara
