Selective truth – caught in the web of information and interests

Monday, June 13 / Plenary Chamber / 11.15 a.m.

From Russia to Mexico, from the Middle East's Arab Spring to South Asia's Shahbag Movement, journalistic content has been increasingly subjected to the watchful eyes of censorship. As the veils of secrecy expand, they cast an ever greater shadow over the democratic process, stifling out voices of opposition, voices of reason. Censorship, self-censorship and propaganda together pose possibly the greatest threat to our values today, impinging upon education and economic systems, democracy and idea of freedom itself.

Is it possible to maintain objectivity in the news selection and production process? And taking into account certain values and sentiments, should objectivity not have limits?

Speakers

• Wolfgang Ischinger, Former German Ambassador to the United States, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference
• FraneMaroevic, Director, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Austria
• Gerda Meuer, Director of Programming, Deutsche Welle, Germany
• Baher Mohamed, Al Jazeera English Planning Producer, Al Jazeera Media Network, Qatar
• AlexeyNikolov, Managing Editor, Russia Today, Russia
• ArashSigarchi, Web Manager, Voice of America (Persian), USA