President Emmanuel Macron hosted a conference on the independent press last Sunday and signed with 29 other countries the Paris Declaration on Multilateral Action for Information Integrity and Independent Media. The event was part of the Paris Peace Forum.
Malta also signed the declaration but its signature carries a cynical history against the independent press. The declaration makes strong statements in favour of principles which the Maltese government has violated consistently. Malta was represented by Minister for EU Funds, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi.
The states that reliable information is a public good and that governments have to make sure that the independent press is equipped with resources and supported in its work. The declaration recognises the independent press as the source of reliable information which is essential for the social and economic advancement of society. It also acknowledges that the dissemination of hate speech and and disinformation has a negative impact on the enjoyment of freedoms and human rights. Independent and trustworthy journalism is at the forefront of combating disinformation.
The declaration also makes reference to several entities that support the independent press such as the International Fund for for Public Interest Media, Media Freedom Coalition, the International Partnership for Information and Democracy and UNESCO.
In his speech commemorating the declaration, President Macron said that society needs to reclaim the information world from the tech giants that have allowed the online proliferation of disinformation, bots and anonymous accounts. the French President also called for algorithms to be transparent in order to prevent further manipulation of information.
A photo by Reuters of the French President at the conference was published here.
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