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CEL Annual Lecture 2012: Media Freedoms & Media Standards

28 November 2012, 6:00 pm–7:30 pm

Event Information

Open to

All

Organiser

UCL Centre for Ethics and Law

Location

UCL Cruciform Lecture Theatre 1, Cruciform Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6AE

Speaker

  • Baroness Onora O'Neill

Commentators

  • Gill Phillips, The Guardian
  • Ian Hargreaves CBE, Professor of Digital Economy at Cardiff Business School and the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies

Chaired by

Prof. Richard Moorhead, UCL Centre for Ethics & Law  

UCL Ethics Law

About the Event

Since the promulgation of the human rights Declarations of the mid twentieth century, ‘freedom of expression’ has become the generic way of referring to the speech rights not only of individuals but of the media. One unintended consequence has been a widespread tendency to favour accounts of media freedoms that focus on rights to speak, write and publish content , but take little account either of the power of the media or of the needs of their audiences. A more plausible approach to the justification of media freedoms would focus on communication rather than on expression of content, would take account of the power and interests of those who communicate, and would take the needs of readers, listeners and viewers seriously. A focus on norms for communication, including norms for adequate communication of truth claims and commitments, can support a stronger and better account of the speech rights and wrongs, both for individuals and for the media.

Further information