Tech for Democracy and Media Freedom: Protecting the Truth Tellers in the 21st Century

Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are preconditions to a functioning democracy and to lasting peace. As the United States and over 100 partner governments around the world meet at the Second US Summit for Democracy to highlight the steps they have taken in the past year to build more resilient democracies, one of the bodies advising them – the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom – will come to Georgetown Law, with special guests, to discuss their work and advice to those States.

The focus of the Panel at Georgetown Law will be on protective measures rooted in international law that can be taken by States in the face of the rise in the physical and digital threats to journalists’ safety and the restrictions on their work. The High Level Panel will speak to some of their recommendations to the Media Freedom Coalition of States, as well as some of the new challenges that lie ahead including in:
– The abuse of surveillance technology, as deployed against journalists and human rights defenders.
– The provision of Safe Refuge for Journalists at Risk and the Panel’s Emergency Visa Mechanism.
– The establishment of a multilateral mechanism to support independent investigations into the killing and abuse of journalists globally.