Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In short, a government isn't responsible for telling journalists what to do. It's instead responsible for educating the younger generations about what constitutes a satirical newspaper, a news agency or a right-wing or left-wing newspaper. Once the audiences and readers have all

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  This issue is too broad to be addressed in a few seconds. The more the United Nations exerts pressure—and Canada's voice is very important—the more the cause can make progress. For a number of years, we've been asking the United Nations to create the position of special adviser o

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In the case of Venezuela, I would say that the result is fairly positive. We don't have time to discuss the broader issue of the Internet's role in press freedom. However, Twitter is playing a fundamental role in the current crisis in Venezuela. Twitter is one of the few tools wh

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Media independence is obviously very important when it comes to press freedom. The readers, audience and general public must know who owns the media and the information consumed, since journalism must be considered an industry that produces information. People must be taught fro

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  To be perfectly honest, I must say that I don't have enough hindsight and experience at Reporters Without Borders to provide a detailed analysis of press freedom in Venezuela in 1967. However, I can say that press freedom doesn't exist without democracy. Since the coming into pow

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  There are a variety of possible and imaginable charges. In particular, you could be charged with espionage or conspiracy. There's a fairly detailed list of other possible charges, whether the journalist is local or foreign. Foreign journalists have been detained for several mont

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  In all of the countries where we work, Reporters without Borders also tries to engage the authorities in debate. Sometimes that is possible, sometimes it is impossible. Venezuela is one of the countries where we have not managed to speak with the authorities, as are Cuba and Nica

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  I too think that the support embassies provide to their journalists who are in dangerous situations can be helpful, and sometimes vital. What governments can do, as some governments, like the Government of Canada, are already doing, is raise the profile of the issues we have des

Subcommittee on International Human Rights committee  Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for having me here today to speak to you about a topic that is, naturally, of great concern and importance to Reporters Without Borders, but also to all of those who defend freedom of the press throughout the world. In short, Reporters Withou