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Conference of democracies opposes censorship

Foreign ministers from 27 countries said on Tuesday that censorship of the media by the state was a bad idea and supported the fourth estate's role of a watchdog in democracy.

Summing up discussions on 'media and democracy', held as part of the second ministerial conference of democracies, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said there was a significant convergence of views on the media's crucial role.

"Any interference will amount to jeopardising the freedom of the media. Historical experience has shown that it is bound to fail," he said.

Agreeing that free media and democracy are closely related he felt that media couldn't survive in a non-democratic society.

At the same time, a free media promotes democratic functions as a watchdog. "We also agreed that with freedom comes the concept of responsibility to society," Sinha said, pointing out that the right to freedom of expression can sometimes clash with other rights.

Another view at the meeting was that the challenge is to see how to avoid excesses. Participants pointed out that in some countries there exist mechanisms for self-regulation, like a press council or the judiciary.

The effect of globalisation on the media also invited some views. Participants felt that a balance had to be struck between receiving information and entertainment from competing sources --- print, TV, Internet, and now convergent technologies.

"In developing countries, the strength of the global media empires dwarfs [that of] the national sources and even leads to fears of cultural identity [being eroded]," Sinha said. The media can be a powerful tool to disseminate education in these countries.

Other topics included consolidating democratic institutions, regional cooperation to promote democracy, and coordinating assistance.

The community of democracies is an international coalition of democratic countries to foster assistance for consolidating democracy and was launched at a ministerial meeting in Warsaw, Poland, in June 2000. The Seoul conference is the second meeting of the community.

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