Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Organizer 3: Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 1: Ana Ruelas, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 2: Paulina Gutiérrez, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Julia Haas, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 4: Chantal Joris, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Varalda Federica, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 2: Paulina Gutiérrez, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 3: Julia Haas, Intergovernmental Organization, Intergovernmental Organization
Speaker 4: Chantal Joris, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Speaker 5: Varalda Federica, Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: We seek to create a debate stemming from initial preselected and diverse interventions that will set the scene for the discussion. The roundtable format will enable contributions from other speakers and participants, bringing the same relevance and importance to each intervention. Moderation will be key to achieve this aim wherein the roundtable format suits better than other options.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: We seek to create a debate stemming from initial preselected and diverse interventions that will set the scene for the discussion. The roundtable format will enable contributions from other speakers and participants, bringing the same relevance and importance to each intervention. Moderation will be key to achieve this aim wherein the roundtable format suits better than other options.
Policy Question(s)
A. How can international and regional bodies, governments and civil society’s approach to info integrity integrate a strong freedom of expression perspective?
B. What an enabling environment for journalists at risk mean in practice within information integrity strategies?
C. What is a differentiated policy approach to information integrity that recognises the different contextual factors enabling polluted information ecosystems and violations to the right to freedom of expression?
What will participants gain from attending this session? The workshop format and the session's approach to Information Integrity will enable the following learnings to those attending the session:
1. How to contribute to strengthening information integrity strategies from a freedom of expression and media freedom perspective.
2. Identify and contribute to close the gap between the healthy information chain and the right to freedom of expression by addressing its greatest threats to human rights and individuals at risk - violations of the right to freedom of expression and information, as well as other violations of political and socio-economic rights that silence and disenfranchise sectors of the population.
3. Learn what are and how to address the different contextual factors required to develop effective and impactful information integrity strategies at regional and local level.
Description:
The quest for "information integrity" is increasingly central to international policy discussions on the challenges facing today’s information ecosystem. To a certain extent, the term reflects an effort to shift the debate on the current information ecosystem to a more positive strategy. With this comes a focus on the quality of information people should have access to - information that is accurate, trustworthy, and reliable - and the importance of maintaining a healthy information ecosystem, rather than a focus on maintaining a free information space where people can express themselves without interference. In parallel, the debate focuses on the way information online gets produced, disseminated and consumed and the role played by the profit-driven business model of Big Tech. While these challenges are real, discussions on algorithmic pluralism, transparency in ad-tech delivery, and the disinformation economy often overshadow a critical issue: the persistent and growing threat of censorship and the lack of an enabling environment for the media and journalists to carry out their journalistic functions. Violations of the right to freedom of expression remain one of the most pressing threat to information integrity. Yet, state efforts through censorship tactics receive less attention. This discussion seeks to recenter the debate on information integrity or close the gap between the healthy information chain and the right to freedom of expression by addressing its greatest threats - violations of the right to freedom of expression, including violations that silence and disenfranchise groups disproportionately impacted by rooted socio political causes. The panel will bring together voices from across the governance, accountability, and media freedom spectrum to explore how violations to the right to freedom of expression and actions that weaken independent media threaten ‘information integrity’ and to identify global and regional strategies to protect independent journalists, at-risk media, and other vulnerable groups.
The quest for "information integrity" is increasingly central to international policy discussions on the challenges facing today’s information ecosystem. To a certain extent, the term reflects an effort to shift the debate on the current information ecosystem to a more positive strategy. With this comes a focus on the quality of information people should have access to - information that is accurate, trustworthy, and reliable - and the importance of maintaining a healthy information ecosystem, rather than a focus on maintaining a free information space where people can express themselves without interference. In parallel, the debate focuses on the way information online gets produced, disseminated and consumed and the role played by the profit-driven business model of Big Tech. While these challenges are real, discussions on algorithmic pluralism, transparency in ad-tech delivery, and the disinformation economy often overshadow a critical issue: the persistent and growing threat of censorship and the lack of an enabling environment for the media and journalists to carry out their journalistic functions. Violations of the right to freedom of expression remain one of the most pressing threat to information integrity. Yet, state efforts through censorship tactics receive less attention. This discussion seeks to recenter the debate on information integrity or close the gap between the healthy information chain and the right to freedom of expression by addressing its greatest threats - violations of the right to freedom of expression, including violations that silence and disenfranchise groups disproportionately impacted by rooted socio political causes. The panel will bring together voices from across the governance, accountability, and media freedom spectrum to explore how violations to the right to freedom of expression and actions that weaken independent media threaten ‘information integrity’ and to identify global and regional strategies to protect independent journalists, at-risk media, and other vulnerable groups.
Expected Outcomes
Collect insights and policy recommendations from diverse and, if possible, opposing views on the need to put freedom of expression violations at the centre of information integrity debates. These contributions seek to inform a series of policy development processes on information integrity strategies focusing on freedom of expression, populations at disproportionate risk online and regional approaches to the issue.
Hybrid Format: We will have one person moderating the online discussion and another one moderating the onsite discussion. Both moderators will follow a moderation model that recognises the importance of balancing the onsite and online participation. We recognise that some of the online contributions may address some of the key questions we seek to address, for example, the issue of contextual factors needed to develop effective information integrity strategies.
In relation to the tools, we are exploring using collaborative tools like "miro boards" or similar interactive tools that also allows contributions from those not willing to speak publicly but to provide recommendations or observations.