Role and place of media in the Information Society: the the Marrakech declaration and plan of action/Role et place des medias dans la Societe de l'Information: declaration et plan d'action de Marrakech.

Morocco hosted an international conference on media issues as a follow-up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). It was held in Marrakech from November 22-24, 2004. A hundred representatives of international and regional media professional organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) concerned with freedom of expression and freedom of the press, media specialists and experts from the academic world and the media industry debated the place and role of the media in the information society, more particularly in Africa and the Arab States. The Ministry of Communication, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Telecommunications of Morocco, ORBICOM and the International Network of UNESCO Chairs in Communication organized this conference jointly. The Marrakech Conference was intended to be a follow-up meeting to the 1st phase of the WSIS (Geneva 2003) and as a preparatory meeting for the 2nd phase (Tunis 2005).

The Marrakech Conference focused on the provisions of the Declaration of Principles and the recommendations of the Plan of Action that relate specifically to the media and those liable to affect the free exercise of journalism. For purposes of the Conference, the issues were grouped into the following 7 themes:

1. The media's place in the information society

2. Media freedom in cyberspace, including cyber security

3. Reducing the digital divide that affects the media

4. Culture and the media

5. Women in the media

6. Media ownership issues

7. Internet governance: the media position

   The climax of the conference was the adoption of the following declaration and plan of action by the participants:

   We, the participants in the conference on the follow-up of the World Information Society Summit (WSIS) on "The Role and Place of the Media in the Information Society in Africa and the Arab Region":

   Consider that Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an essential foundation of the Information Society: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media, and regardless of frontiers".

   Reaffirm the principles contained in the Declarations of Windhoek (1991) and of Sana'a (1996) on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media in Africa and the Arab States, as well as those related to media in the Declaration of Principles adopted by the Geneva WSIS, on December 2003.

   Declare that the time has come to move from the promise of Article 19 to its universal implementation. Freedom of expression and press freedom are at the core of construction of the Information Society in Africa, the Arab region, and throughout the world.

   Everyone, everywhere should have the opportunity to participate in the Information Society and to take advantage of its benefits. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) as well as media must be a fulcrum for equitable access to sustainable development.

   The Internet and other new media forms should be afforded the same freedom of expression protections as traditional media.

   The international debate on "Internet Governance" should allow better cooperation on Internet management. It should not be a pretext to regulate Internet content of news or opinion. In particular, security considerations and the demands of the battle against crime including terrorism should not imperil freedom of expression and press freedom. Internet Service Providers should not be held liable for the content of the messages they carry.

   Representatives of the media must be involved as full partners in any future Internet governance system.

   Domestic legislation must guarantee the independence and pluralism of the media.

   The media's function in producing, gathering, checking and distributing diverse news and content, including at the local community level, is vital. Legal and regulatory frameworks are needed to encourage community media. To that end, those dispositions should be non-discriminatory and provide for equitable allocation of frequencies through transparent mechanisms.

   State-controlled broadcasting outlets must be transformed into public service entities with statutes of editorial independence and where journalists have autonomous professional status.

   The...