Welcome to the Freedom of Expression Project.
Networked digital communications are spreading across the globe, transforming millions of lives.
Through communications technologies, people across the world have new opportunities to exchange ideas, realise their human creativity and organise for social and political change. Yet within this environment there are some significant threats to rights and freedoms. And many people do not yet benefit from what it has to offer.
This Project is a global collaboration to shape the networked communications environment as it continues to develop. It aims to build a communications environment that:
- respects and promotes human rights
- gives all people and communities opportunities fully to realise their human potential.
It is directed by a global group of Project partners, organisations committed to working together to advance these aims. It is coordinated by Global Partners and Associates and funded by the Ford Foundation.
Click on About the Project for information about the Project’s work and how it has developed. All the Project’s research to date is available at Project Research.
We are now developing and consulting on a set of rights-based principles to guide policy in the communications environment. See the Current Work Section to find out more.
Visit the Resources section for useful links to other organisations, initiatives and research and policy news.
Conference Report: International Media and Human Rights
Pre-conference of the National Conference for Media Reform, Minneapolis, 6-8 June 2008
Convened by Consumers Union, 5 June 2008
Report by Global Partners and Associates
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National Conference for Media Reform 2008
Minneapolis, 6-8 June 2008
The National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR), organised by Free Press, brought together US activists, media professionals and academics concerned with issues of media ownership, communications technology and democracy.
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Freedom of Expression Project Briefing Note, June 2008
Download a PDF copy of our most recent briefing note by clicking on the 'Attachment' link below.
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Situating communications policy in the human rights framework
This paper by Morris Lipson examines whether the values that the Freedom of Expression Project believes should underlie communications policy making are rooted within the international human rights framework. Lipson highlights how the rights to free expression, culture and political participation underpin the proposed values and associated policy principles. However, depending on their interpretation, tensions exist between some of the values. Further work needs to be done to balance out these tensions so that that the values can have the maximum effect on policy making.
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Mapping existing agreements and principles
The Freedom of Expression Project is currently working with its international partners to develop a set of rights-based public interest principles to guide policy making in the networked communications environment. A number of similar initiatives led by other groups have already been completed or are ongoing. This paper by Kate Wilkinson maps these initiatives according to the mechansisms they use to implement and enforce standards and the scope of the issues they address.
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Public interest principles for the networked communications environment
In 2008 we are working to define broad policy principles which, if adhered to by policy makers, business and users, could help build a communications environment that supports free expression and the public interest. You can download the current draft of these principles at the bottom of the page, or you can read and comment online by clicking here We want as many people as possible to feed into this process, so if you have any comments please get in touch.
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