22 Jul 2019 “Democracy, as we know it, is about to die…”
There was a mantra among communities and businesses when foreign goods and huge chain stores started crowding out small, local operations. “Buy local” was the cry.
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15 Jul 2019 Civil rights and the climate crisis
Philip Alston, UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, writes that the impacts of global heating are likely to undermine not only basic rights to life, water, food, and housing for hundreds of millions of people, but also democracy and the rule of...
08 Jul 2019 Short-sighted policies for short-term gain
Accessibility and affordability are watchwords of the communication rights movement. Yet when it comes to digital access, governments have still not got their act together.
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24 Jun 2019 Unfriendly-fire: Media freedom under threat
“Elected leaders in many democracies, who should be press freedom’s staunchest defenders, have made explicit attempts to silence critical media voices and strengthen outlets that serve up favorable coverage. The trend is linked to a global decline in democracy itself: The erosion of press freedom...
10 Jun 2019 True public service media to the rescue
Every ten years or so the BBC comes in for criticism for being too partial or too impartial.
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03 Jun 2019 World Wide Web or webs of intrigue?
In its 2019 report, the Internet Society asks whether the Internet economy is consolidating and, if it is, what the implications might be.
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13 May 2019 Digital vulnerability and global justice
As with every new technological innovation, there are pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages, benefits and risks.
29 Apr 2019 Stand up for press freedom worldwide!
It’s a more clandestine and dangerous world when journalists can be threatened with violence, detention, and death for doing their job.
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23 Apr 2019 Freedom of the press in an age of anxiety
The UK Foreign Secretary has appointed international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney to act as a special envoy on media freedom. She will also chair a high-level panel of legal experts on the issue.
08 Apr 2019 Why are Indigenous and minority languages important in today’s world?
The United Nations has declared 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages in order to raise awareness about the importance of linguistic diversity in relation to sustainable development, culture, knowledge, and collective memory. People’s ability to communicate in their own language is one of...