PM: Prominent Experts to Discuss Watchdog Role of the Media at Vienna Conference on Terrorism, Media and the Law

Hier die Meldung des International Press Institut vom 11. Sept. 2009 zur Konferenz zu Bürgerrechten und vor allem der Pressefreiheit in Zeiten des "Kriegs gegen den Terrorismus".


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In just over three weeks, on 5-6 October, media representatives, lawyers, human rights advocates, and security and counter-terrorism experts will gather in Vienna, Austria, to discuss the fight against terrorism and its impact on civil liberties, in particular freedom of expression and press freedom, at a conference organized by the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Center for International Legal Studies (CILS).

Nik Gowing, Main Presenter for BBC World News, is the latest addition to a distinguished list of speakers who will take part in the two-day international conference, “The War on Words – Terrorism, Media and the Law.”

Gowing will moderate the panel session, “The Watchdog Role of the Media in the Fight against Terrorism,” which will examine how anti-terrorism measures affect the ability of the media to carry out its crucial role in providing the public with the information they need to understand the complexities of the fight against terrorism.

Confirmed speakers on this panel include Raphael Perl, Head of the OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit, Lucy Dalglish, Executive Director of the Arlington, Virginia-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Elmar Thevessen, Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Terrorism Analyst for ZDF German Television.

Nik Gowing became a main programme anchor for the BBC’s international television news channel BBC World in 1996. He has presented “The World Today,” “Europe Direct”, and “HARDtalk,” among other programmes. Drawing on his extensive reporting experience over two decades in diplomacy, defence and international security, he recently authored the influential report, “Skyful of Lies and Black Swans: The new tyranny of shifting information power in crises” (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism Publications).

Sponsored by UNESCO and the OSCE, among others, “The War on Words – Terrorism, Media and the Law” will be held at Vienna’s prestigious Diplomatic Academy.

For further information or to register, visit the conference webpage: www.freemedia.at/waronwords

Or contact:
Michael Kudlak
Conference Coordinator
Tel: + 431- 512 90 11
Email: mkudlak(at)freemedia.at