Eventually I'll get to my view of all this as an Australian citizen and what I consider to be some craven behaviour on the part of the Australian government, however right now I think you NEED to read about this:
On the very day WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange was arrested, the U.S. Department of State -- which is waging all-out legal, PR and cyberwar against WikiLeaks for releasing its private cables -- announced it is pleased to host UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day in 2011.
The three-day celebration in may will pay tribute to new media that have made it possible for repressed people around the world to express their opinions and make public information their oppressive governments tried to keep secret.
"We are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information. We mark events such as World Press Freedom Day in the context of our enduring commitment to support and expand press freedom and the free flow of information in this digital age"
- Kevin Fogarty writing for ITworld
The press release for World Press Freedom Day also states:
"Expanding access to the internet and mobile technologies has opened new routes for gathering and sharing news and information. Those same technologies also have provided new tools to regimes that seek to filter and censor information or to silence those who want to express themselves. World Press Freedom Day 2011 will offer a forum for media freedom advocates, journalists, and policymakers to tackle these challenges and keep them on the global agenda. Freedom of the media is a fundamental human right that requires strong support and constant vigilance."
Joseph Lieberman, on the hand, said on Fox News (....) that he believed a newspaper should be investigated alongside WikiLeaks:
"To me, The New York Times has committed at least an act of bad citizenship, and whether they have committed a crime, I think that bears a very intensive inquiry by the Justice Department.”
The Guardian covers World Press Freedom Day with a very lyrically titled article:
"World Press Freedom Day reminds us that information is democracy's oxygen"
Magpie - You know better than I do, the power that information has played throughout history. I've felt that the elite are conducting an inquisition of Roman Catholic proprotions for some time now and I also think it's about to get worse. Rather than seeing the ligt, gubnuts are going to crack down on our liberties instead, create false flag out of all this and enact an "internet patriot act" that will restrict the Net's freedom and undermine it's neutrality. I'd be willing to bet on it.
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