WebQuest Work Station 3: Model Solutions
Mithilfe dieser Aufgaben sollen SuS sollen in die Lage versetzt werden beurteilen zu können, ob/wann das Auslassen eines evt beleidigenden Cartoons als eine Form der Zensur zu bewerten ist.
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Find out which factors lead to a low World Press Freedom index? | violations of different kinds (journalists jailed, killed or abducted, violation of the right to information in foreign territory) governmental interference in editorial content, no transparency of governmental decision-making, discrimination → violation of freedom of speech in general |
How is data compiled? | RSF's secretary-general Christophe Deloire says: "The World Press Freedom Index is a reference tool that is based on seven criteria: the level of abuses, the extent of pluralism, media independence, the environment and self-censorship, the legislative framework, transparency and infrastructure. |
Which countries scored lowest in 2014? Which ones highest? | Best = Finland (6,4), Norway (6,46), Netherlands (6,52) Worst = Turkmenistan (80,81), Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) (81,96), Eritrea (84,83) |
Compare the outcome to the latest data on 2015. | Best = Finland (7,52), Norway (7,75), Denmark (8,24) Worst = Turkmenistan (80,83), Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) (83,25), Eritrea (84,86) |
What are the biggest threats to the media? | Conflicts tendency to interpret national security needs in an overly broad and abusive manner |
How can freedom of information be defended according to Reporters without Borders? | Reporters Without Borders now wants the UN to create a group of independent experts with the task of monitoring respect by member states for their obligations, in particular, their obligation to protect journalists, to investigate all cases of violence against them, and bring those responsible to justice |
Go to the “Reporters Without Borders” website, and find out what they say aboutfreedom of the press in Germany, France and two other countries that interest you. | The Franco-German tandem hit some bumps. Germany remained in a good position but France slipped one position. Its Constitutional Council approved a law that makes publishing the assets of certain elected officials punishable by imprisonment and it still awaits a law that would provide effective protection for the confidentiality of journalists’ sources. The year’s low point in France was a court order withdrawing the Bettencourt recordings from the Mediapart and Le Point websites, a grave media freedom violation that denied the public’s right to be informed about a matter of general interest involving leading politicians. |
Info text on censorship | |
Give examples of the philosophical idea of “common good” | measures intended to protect the common good are meant to preserve goods like security and justice for all people in a society, not just for a select few |
What is preemptive censorship? | preventing the publication or broadcast of undesirable information |
What is punitive censorship? | punishing those who publish or broadcast offending material |
How was censorship opposed in former Soviet Union and its allies? | Literature critical of the Soviet Union was secretly printed and distributed by underground movements. |
Which other reasons for Censorship are mentioned in this text? | opressing speech or writing that is considered subversive of the common good regulate the morals of their people obscenity political reasons, e.g. purging school textbooks of possible left-wing content in the 1950s hate speech, language deemed threatening (or sometimes merely offensive) to various subsections of the population |
Information that might be included in the PPP | |
Present the methods of, and different motivations for, censorship you have read about. | violations of different kinds (journalists jailed, killed or abducted, violation of the right to information in foreign territory) preemptive censorship: |
Present the NGO Reporters Without Borders. Who are they and what do they do? | An NGO dedicated to safeguarding freedom of the press. Reporters Without Borders is registered in France as a non-profit organisation and has consultant status at the United Nations and UNESCO. Violations against a free press have serious consequences which need to be tracked in order to better counteract them. This is the mission of Reporters Without Borders’ Research hub whose activities are carried out according to geographical area : Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and the Americas. Each zone’s research specialists observe and report any attacks on press freedom worldwide. Their daily monitoring efforts are a prerequisite for any action undertaken by the organisation. |
What criteria do they use to measure freedom of the press? | violations of different kinds (journalists jailed, killed or abducted, violation of the right to governmental interference in editorial content, no transparency of governmental |
Apply these criteria to Germany, France and two other countries that you find interesting in this context. | Individual Solutions |