21st Century Threats to Media Freedom Conference

As Secretary Rice recently said, "there is no more important pillar of democracy than a free and active press." Freedom House’s report is a sobering reminder of the threats journalists, bloggers and others in the media face every day. An independent, free and vibrant press is an essential element to democracy. The press fosters debate, provides a forum for expressing different points of view, and keeps governments accountable for the decisions they make. So the increasing challenges members of the press face around the world are challenges to democracy and freedom, and what President Bush has called the "nonnegotiable demands of human dignity." We use Freedom House reports as an important point of reference and to help us measure progress on key indicators of freedom around the world.

One of the great opportunities for spreading freedom of expression is the Internet. The Internet holds enormous promise, particularly for the developing world, and efforts to blunt the Internet’s transformational power need to be countered by governments, NGOs and citizens worldwide.

The United States is working to address these challenges. Secretary Rice established the Global Internet Freedom Task Force in February 2006 to promote the free flow of information on the Internet. I am the co-chair of this task force, and our strategy has three components.

First, we are monitoring internet freedom in countries around the world. The annual Country Reports on Human Rights practices now include information on the status of internet access as well as information on the means by which regimes seek to restrict freedom.

Second, we are strengthening our response to efforts by regimes to restrict internet freedom. We believe that the human rights reports are a good tool to use to call attention to threats to internet freedom, and we look forward to our continued partnership with Congress, NGOs and allied countries around the world to further these efforts. This past January, the State Department hosted a conference on combating Internet censorship around the globe. The conference was attended by over 120 people, and included representatives from corporations, socially responsible investment firms, NGOs, foreign embassies, and Congressional offices.

Third, we are working to expand access to the Internet. Since 2004, the United States has provided over $250 million on projects in developing countries to expand access to the Internet and other communications technologies to those who otherwise would not have the opportunity to do so. These funds cover a broad range of activities, from assistance with website design to providing hardware and training for technicians to service the infrastructure to keep the systems operating.

As the task force continues its work, we welcome the input from our partners here in Congress, and the great organizations taking part in today’s event. Thank you.