T-Salon

Yesterday was World Press Freedom Day and Amnesty International wrote: "It is arguably the year of the Blogosphere, a phenomenon that has profound implications for press freedom and human rights."

"The network of blogs is more interactive than websites, more interconnected than newsgroups or web forums and more permanent than chat.

[...]


Blogs are individual expressions of opinion. Where "facts" are cited, they should be treated with healthy scepticism. As long as the reader makes his or her own judgments about the information, the fact that blogs do not purport to provide a balanced view can be refreshing, as there is little risk of a hidden agenda or bias. They also offer an immediate right of reply and the opportunity for others to correct information or to put across an alternative viewpoint immediately."

Also in my mailbox yesterday (and I only discovered this morning) was this press release from the Canadian International News Agency:

"Ottawa — To highlight World Press Freedom Day, dedicated this year to the theme of "Media and Good Governance," the Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of International Cooperation, today reiterated Canada's commitment to fostering independent and balanced media, to promote democracy and good governance around the world."

[...]

As stated in Canada's recent International Policy Statement (IPS), good governance is a basic requirement for peace, security and sustainable political and socio-economic development. Hence, supporting freedom of the press is an integral part of the IPS's strategic focus."

This is much better news than the story of Chinese journalist Cheng Yizhong who was jailed last year for his reporting and was forbidden by authorities to receive a Press Freedom Award from UNESCO yesterday. Yining has posted Cheng Yizhong's acceptance speech (in Chinese). It's titled "Upholding Common Sense in Terror and Lies. ESWN has translated it into English.