Freedom of the Press

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Belarus
Delegate Name: Nora Sullivan
School: Ann Arbor Community High School

The Republic of Belarus believes that people can publish what they want, but we believe that those who discredit the Republic of Belarus should be prosecuted. People need to trust their country and know what is good for them. This is why we need to keep our media laws in place; to protect the people and country.

The Republic of Belarus believes that in order to maintain peace within the community, there should be restrictions on the Press. There are many articles written every year that put Belarus in a negative light, and are meant to scare people. Belarus believes that in order to protect the people we must maintain and monitor what is published to protect our citizens.

Our new media laws regulate and register newspapers. If they print something that is liable to the government, we have the liberty to shut them down. If a paper were to slander people in the Government, we have the right to prosecute the paper. We know that press freedoms allow others to slander and hurt people by taking advantage of their freedom. These people should be brought to justice. With the passage of our newest law the Republic of Belarus shows that it is strengthening our views on this particular issue. We now have the right to register independent papers and censor the content written for the Internet. The Republic of Belarus is liable for whatever is written and has the power to eliminate all publications that degrade the people’s view of our country.

The Republic of Belarus strongly believes in the censorship of slanderous material printed by the press, the people need to know that we are capable of keeping law and order in our own country.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Cameroon
Delegate Name: Devon Early
School: Mattawan High School

The Republic of Cameroon believes that, although a fundamental protected freedom by Article 19 of the UN Deceleration of Human Rights, the government has the right to restrict what the press can print or broadcast. We have strict libel laws in place that protect both the common people and government officials from slanderous and libel material in the media, and believe that this is part of the duty of the government to protect it's citizens from such injustices. We also hold our media outlets to a strict code of what cannot to printed. We believe that this is necessary do to because of the incredible amount of corruption in media forms such as the newspapers. Without government policies and regulations that protect citizens, the victims of libel in the media would be unable to take any action against the publications that ruined their reputation. The Republic of Cameroon has also taken strides to improve the press freedoms of the media, and have continually done so since the early 2000's. Furthermore, we have implemented a system that educates the public about the rights and freedoms that they have.

It is for this reason that the Republic of Cameroon believes that, although this an important global issue, it is not the right of the UN to set up a body to monitor and protect this freedom is unnecessary, and a violation of the sovereignty of nations everywhere. We believe that a far better approach would be to use NGO's such as Reporters Without Borders to come in and work with the media outlets to educate them on freedom of the press, and proper techniques in journalistic writing.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: China
Delegate Name: Melanie Kruvelis
School: Royal Oak High School

The People’s Republic of China believes that the protection of a nation is superior to the rights of the individual. In order for a nation to function at its fullest potential it must be able to protect itself by limiting the leakage of classified governmental information. By patching leaks of state secrets, our nation is able to retain its political strength, and protect the lives of the people.

The People’s Republic of China recognizes the power of freedom of speech and does grant that privilege to its citizens in adherence to Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, as stated in Article 35 of the People’s Republic of China constitution: "citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession, and of demonstration”. However, the People’s Republic of China more strongly values the protection of the government over that of individuals whose actions and words may tarnish the security, honor, and worldwide reputation of the nation of China. This concern is especially prevalent with the advent of Internet journalism, where libel can run rampant, potentially harming the state of the government and thus the billions of citizens of our nation. The People’s Republic of China reserves the right to oversee the works written concerning our nation through governmental agencies.

If the protection of citizens is made inferior to the rights of the individual, then the nation’s well-being is put at stake. The People’s Republic of China urges this body to remember the sovereignty of all nations, and recognize that it is at each nation’s discretion whether or not the freedom of the press is superior to the right of a government to protect its people.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Côte d’Ivoire
Delegate Name: Whitney Morris
School: Royal Oak High School

The nation of Côte d’Ivoire believes that a strong democracy requires a press that expresses the views of both the government and the people and keeps everyone informed. Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that in a developing democracy conflicts can often emerge between the government and the press. In Côte d’Ivoire we are struggling to find a middle ground between the 2 groups.

The tension between the media and the government in Côte d’Ivoire results primarily from the current instability of the national government. It is difficult for the government to gain control over its people and govern fairly when it is being undermined by individuals in the media around every corner. As a result, our government has at times restricted the press, but what nation can honestly say that they have not? It is critical that this body recognize the rights of its member nations to control they media within their nation’s borders as they see fit.

It should also be noted by the body that it is not only the developing world that regulates their press. The United States, for instance, has the Federal Communications Commission for that fact alone, regulating the media. Every government does this. The question is how much should be allowed and who should be able to decide that. These are the questions we need to address. The nation of Côte d’Ivoire looks forward to the opportunity to work at this issue with the international community.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Ecuador
Delegate Name: Katie O’Brien
School: Ann Arbor Community High School

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 19 “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

We, the Republic of Ecuador, support this article fully. We believe freedom of press is an important right of our country’s citizens. It is important because it gives the people access to information and what is happening in their country. We believe that the people of our republic should have access to information directly from the source or through some form of media.

We have multiple articles in our new constitution on the topic of communication and information. For example, article 18 of our constitution talks about how all people are entitled to find, receive, and produce accurate information without censorship, as well as access to information from “public entities, private or state funds that handle or perform public functions. There will be no withholding of information except as expressly provided by law. In case of violation of human rights, no public body shall deny the information.” Article 91 provides for legal action to protect the right to information where this has been denied, in whole or in part, whether explicitly or informally. And article 265, all information on the formulation, approval and implementation of the budget must be public and must also be proactively disseminated to the public through the appropriate media.

Freedom of press is a very important subject in the Republic of Ecuador, which is taken seriously. All countries should include freedom of press as a right for their people and adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They should avoid censorship unless something infringes upon the human rights of another.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: El Salvador
Delegate Name: Shanae Dawson
School: Flint Northern High School

My country El Salvador has a poor press freedom. Freedom of the press is protected through the constitution. Today the journalists of my country, El Salvador, face many limitations while on the job. The journalists of my country are generally able to report freely on issues. At the same time, press freedom is hindered by the lack of transparency reflected in the absence of freedom of information legislation. The judge has the right to restrict media access to legal proceedings. According to the Journalists' Association of El Salvador, there is a continuing problem with self-censorship in the news media. Self-censorship is often exercised to avoid offending media owners, editors, and government officials.

Although there are restrictions to exceptions when people are assaulted for breaking a rule there is a problem. Journalists of my country should not be beat, held hostage, or even murdered for bringing the truth to the light. Two journalist, Edwin Gongora and Miguel Gonzalez, where reported attacked and kidnapped until a ransom was paid. Why were these extreme actions taken? All of these harsh things were done in order to stop them from interviewing a man who was detained and accused of fraud. Maria Lorena Saravia’s death is one that was associated with journalism. Her murder still goes unsolved.

To me it seems as though we should only broadcast the sunny side of things. We are not to expose the harsh realities of life. Although some people may feel offended by the facts, we have the right to know the truth and the journalists of my country should have the right to deliver just that. The journalist of El Salvador should not have to write out of fear. Journalists of my country should be able to inform the people without worry.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: France
Delegate Name: Jeremy Gloster
School: Roeper School

We, The Republic of France, firmly believe in the freedom of the press. For our nation, the rights of journalists are a priority. We observe press freedom as a fundamental freedom, protected by Article 19 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

Press freedom remains an active and contentious issue in The Republic of France, which we believe is ultimately positive. Several French publications have strived to become independent from advertisers and our government, and have found success in their efforts. These publications are truly independent monitors of power, and would not be tolerated in a nation where journalistic organizations are suppressed. We also support a pluralism of media sources by prohibiting any single journalistic organization from controlling more than 30 percent of the daily press.

We are ranked in the top 50 nations regarding press freedom, according to the Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a non-governmental organization, is based out of Paris. We are also supporters of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738, which aims to protect journalists in armed conflicts.

We commend nations such Ghana, Mali, and South Africa that have rapidly improved press freedom. Press freedom is an indicator of a nation’s commitment to democracy, and these young democracies should be praised for their efforts. We urge member states to adopt legislation that protects press freedom and honors Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

The Republic of France seeks to work with other nations to guarantee freedom of the press, and is dismayed at the trend evident in many parts of the world, to harass, intimidate, imprison, or even kill members of the press. The Republic of France seeks to reverse this trend through a strong international commitment and agreement of the UN.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Germany
Delegate Name: Lauren McCarthy
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

Freedom of the press consists of constitutional or statutory protections to the media and published materials, maintaining respect to governmental information. Any government may distinguish particular materials that should be either public or protected from disclosure. Materials that any government feels should be protected from being disclosed to the public are based on classification of information as sensitive, classified, or otherwise protected due to relevance of the information to protecting national interest. Freedom of the press was deemed as a fundamental protected freedom by Article 19 of the UN declarations of Human Rights; A freedom which, over the years, has been denied to the media institutions across the globe. Increased awareness and pressure on government should be taken to the nations that purposefully deny media institutions this essential right.

Freedom of the press is well established in Germany and protected extensively by the constitution. Article 5 of Germany's constitution, or Basic Law, specifically enshrines the right of freedom of speech and of the press. Although freedom of the press is also protected repeatedly by the UN declarations of Human Rights, each nation should be required to reestablish protection of the right within the means of their own countries form of declaration of citizens’ rights or constitution. Institutions who express this right, under the UN declaration of Human Rights, should not be punishable in any nation under the confines of UN regulation. Intervention will be necessary and enforced in nations that violate the UN declarations of rights and deny national press their freedom of speech.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Greece
Delegate Name: Kristinn Borgfjord
School: Mattawan High School

We the people of Greece are located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, close to Turkey. Our government is officially called The Hellenic Republic, with George Papandreou as our Prime Minister, and Karolos Papoulias as our president who were elected democratically. Our major language is Geek, and our major religion is Christianity.

The issue of freedom of the press is not a major issue in Greece. News, domestically-made variety programs, comedies and game shows dominate the peak-time TV schedules. Our major news agency is called the Athens News Agency, which is a national agency that also has English pages for travelers. We allow our journalists to write about whatever they want with some government oversight. The media enjoys considerable freedoms. However, Reporters Without Borders in 2009 warned of a growing trend of violence against the media and death threats against journalists. It said these were often claimed by anarchists and extreme leftists. There is a risk to being a journalist in Greece because of these extreme leftists, who send death threats because of what the journalists write and report about. We are trying to make being a journalist safer in Greece because it is the right of our people to know what is happening locally, in our country, and in the world. We believe that other countries should also have freedom of the press, so that people are more aware of what is going on in the world. We agree with the UNESCO Freedom of the Press, which promotes freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a basic human right. It highlights media independence and pluralism as fundamental to the process of democracy by providing advisory services on media legislation and by making governments, parliamentarians and other decision-makers aware of the need to guarantee free expression.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Guatemala
Delegate Name: Jennifer Larson
School: Royal Oak High School

The issue of Freedom of Press is not a significant problem for the Republic of Guatemala. Guatemala is a neighboring country of Mexico and has a Roman Catholic religion base. We do not see Freedom of Press as a black and white issue. There should not be unlimited freedom, but not the absence of it either. There is a defining thin line in-between the two extremes which needs to be addressed.

Guatemala believes that there should be a limit on Freedom of Press. Everyone is entitled to their freedoms, but not to an extreme extent. If everyone took their freedoms literally, and never second-guessed that there were no limitations, people would be running naked on the streets waving guns around because it's their right. Wrong. No one should be able to broadcast harmful and extreme ideas as if they are facts. This can cause violence and misinformation.

As a dominantly Catholic country, our people have a hard time adjusting to the rising acceptance of individual differences, especially those which seem to go against the values of the church. Hate crimes are already a significant problem in Guatemala. Freedom of the Press enables information to be shared openly, thus identifying differences that become sources of conflict.

We believe everyone should be able to speak freely yet wish to prevent additional struggles that might lead to increased violence over expressed differences. The problem we wish to address is where to find a solution balancing between the two extremes.

Guatemala is open to consider the ideas of other countries on the issue of Freedom of the Press. An acceptable resolution Guatemala would support would clearly define the issue and provide a well thought out solution.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Iraq
Delegate Name: Marshayda McKinzie
School: Flint Northern High School

Iraq continues to be the most dangerous place for the press. Several dozen journalist and media works continue to be killed throughout the year. The two biggest challenges for the press is the ongoing security issues and the restrictions on investigating corruption and abuses of power. Freedom of opinion and freedom of the press are guaranteed in Article 36 of the 2005 Constitution. The Article state “in a way that does not violate public order or morality”. Iraqi laws restrict the press and allow for fines and imprisonment of up to seven years for anyone who insults the national assembly, the government, or public authorities. The media is not allowed to support the Ba’ath Party, inciting violence or civil disorder, or calling for a change in Iraq’s borders through violent mean.

United Nations Stand

The United Nations agency charged with defending the freedom of the press today of the killing of an Iraqi television cameraman who died when a bomb exploded outside his house in the Kirkuk.May 3 marks the day of World Freedom Of The Press Day.This day is to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. United Nations started celebrating this day May 3, 1993.

Conclusion

In Conclusion Iraq is a cruel place to any and everybody and this is just an outrage. The media and the journalist should be able to go to work and be safe without having to die just getting a story on the corruption of the government. I believe that these are people you should let them live so they can tell their people what is going on.

Thank You!

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Malawi
Delegate Name: Jenna Salmeron
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

Freedom of the Press can be a very controversial topic, Malawi believes that the people who live in our country should have the right to that freedom. When Malawi became a multi-party democracy in 1994, we promised our people this freedom. We give them freedom to express their feelings through news papers, and 2 independent ones as well the daily times and the weekly Malawi news, we allow them to do this without government involvement. In addition to the news papers we give them freedom with radio stations and television broadcasting.

We have given the people of malawi this freedom because we as a country believe in equal rights for all citizens and that nobody should be treated with less respect for any reason such as being gay,disabled, rich or poor, all people are created equal in our eyes. This is why we have given this right to everyone who lives in our country; this is part of our law. If the people of Malawi do not follow these rules, they are given what we believe are proper for what they have done, ranging from a fine to time in jail. Our law enforcement would never harm another citizen in any cruel way because of what they have done. We as a country take mature steps to discipline them, and this is how we will keep it forever. This is our stance on freedom of the press and it is permently our position.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Mozambique
Delegate Name: Nathan Flynn
School: Roeper School

Although freedom of press is designated in the UN Declaration of Human Rights as a fundamental protected freedom, it seems as if some countries do not comply with such freedoms. UNESCO has designated May 3rd as World Press Freedom day to raise awareness and to help conserve freedom of press. This may not be working though. As recently as early 2009, Current TV journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling were kidnapped in North Korea. 30 journalists were thrown in prison in Eritrea and one other was killed in Madagascar while covering a street demonstration. Other countries accused of violating freedom of press rights include Iran and the United States.

In Mozambique, journalists are allowed to write pieces critical to the government. Media outlets are free to publish whatever articles they please although they may be brought to court in a libel suit. Although there are few restrictions on what you can and cannot publish in Mozambique, there are other problems. Only 6 newspapers are in circulation throughout the entire country. Furthermore, less than half of the population capable of reading and the biggest daily newspaper is printed in Portugese, which only 6% of the population read as a first language. An alternate to the newspaper is to listen to Radio Mozambique, which is the largest radio station in the country. Private and Commercial radio stations are also allowed to run, unlike many other African nations. Throughout Mozambique there are an estimated 40 radio and television stations and the number of receivers have increased significantly since 1995. The influx of media is attributed to a drafting of a new constitution in 1990 which allowed the press to operate with less government regulation and intervention. Prior to 1990, Mozambique had operated in a Marxist sort of government.

According to Reporteres sans Frontieres, a Paris based group, Mozambique placed 82nd out of 175 countries in terms of press freedom. This is in stark contrast to other African nations. While Mozambique was assessed a score of 19 (zero being the ideal score). Other scores for South African nations included Madagascar (45.83) and Democratic Republic of Congo (53.5). RsF also reports that Mozambique has higher press freedom than European nations France, Spain and Italy.

The UNESCO press freedom prize was awarded to Mexican journalist Lidia Cacho in Maputo, Mozambique on May 4th 2008. Of the 11 winners of the Guillermo Cano press freedom prize, named for a slain Colombian journalist, 3 have been unable to accept because they were in jail and 2007’s winner, Anna Politkovskaya, because she had been killed before she was able to accept the award. These examples show that although countries are stepping up and taking initiative in helping freedom of press, a fundamentally protected freedom, that there is still work to be done. Even in Mozambique, an editor writing about certain people in the country was killed because of his work in the private sector. This helped to spur Mozambique into overdrive in its aid to allow the press to publish safely and to get the public the information that it is entitled to.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Netherlands
Delegate Name: Sarah Fries
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

The Kingdom of the Netherlands believes that freedom of the press in its entirety is one of the most important values for a nation to encourage. Being within the top ten most free countries for press and media, we stand wholly stand behind any member state trying to eliminate censorship and encouraging the freedom of press within their borders.

The most imperative reason for promoting free press within nations is for the purpose of education. It is necessary that for a country to operate efficiently, its people must be well informed on the nations issues and positions on specific subject matters. Not to mention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also grants every being the right to free press and personal beliefs. “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontier.” Some nations, such as North Korea, Burma, and China, exceedingly restrict the free press laws and the nations’ governments control almost, if not all, of the information released the citizens residing there. They could argue that it is only benefiting the people, and that they are solely trying to protect and keep the citizens’ best interests in mind. But, would the world not be in a much better place if everyone was equally informed about all issues, because then we could actually settle disputes with an unbiased and well-educated debate.

Overall, the freedom of the press is not only significant to educate people, but also important for the purpose of create equality and truth to every human on this earth. We have the right as living beings to express ourselves and to spread information, so for the good of mankind, it would be in every member state’s interest to allow its citizens to exercise their liberties regarding press and the media.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: New Zealand
Delegate Name: Erin Lalinsky
School: Ann Arbor Community High School

We, the country of New Zealand are an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean. The indigenous Māori named, our country, New Zealand Aotearoa, meaning The Land of the Long White Cloud. Our political power is held by the democratically elected Parliament of New Zealand under the leadership of the Prime Minister, John Key, who is the head of government. We are a developed country that ranks highly in international comparisons on peace, public education, the protection of civil liberties and political rights, and press freedom. We, New Zealand, are ranked 13th on an international press freedom index.

This issue of freedom of the press does not affect our country of New Zealand. Respect for press freedom and lack of targeted violence against journalists enabled New Zealand, a couple other Asia-Pacific countries to be regional leaders. The right to freedom of expression is enshrined in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 (BoRA), which states in section 14 that, "everyone has the right to freedom of expression, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and opinions of any kind in any form." Although, as with any right, there are restrictions. Section 5 tells the limits on freedom of expression: "Subject to section 4 of this Bill of Rights, the rights and freedoms contained in this Bill of Rights may be subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society." The Court of Appeal, in Moonen v Film and Literature Board of Review, clarified the test in section 5 of the BoRA to mean that the restriction on free speech must be equal to the goal sought to be achieved; the limit must be rationally connected to the objective; and the restriction must impair the right to freedom of expression to the least possible extent. The Court said, "A sledge hammer should not be used to crack a nut." Our restrictions include, but are not limited to, advocacy of national, expressions that are threatening, abusive, or insulting to a person or group of persons on the ground of their colour, race or ethnic or national origins, discrimination, hostility or violence, and child pornography.

We, New Zealand, want to help other nations promote freedom of the press in their own countries. We are looking forward to supporting these other nations, in what ever form possible, to nations firmly committed to freedom of press in their countries.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Norway
Delegate Name: Shelby Pendowski
School: Mattawan High School

The issue at hand, Freedom of Press is that at which Norway addresses as a human right and believes that each country should adopt a policy that insures Freedom of the Press. Our Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, along with the elected Parliament highly believe the necessity for action upon this issue and calls attention to the dangers writers, reporters, and journalists feel when they express their truthful opinions. With a strong urge to expanded Press Freedoms into all participating UN nation to solve this global problem, we plead for a resolution.

We, Norway, believe that everyone is entitled to the right of freedom of press, to seek the truth, to convey information and opinion in any way, in any form. Norway, an independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combined to ensure freedom of speech along with the press; with the freedom of press our government places no restriction on our people's internet to result in of more peaceful expression of views via the internet. In the year 1994, our Norwegian Press Association adopted an Ethical Code of Practice, covering the obligation of the press to protect freedoms of speech and information distribution and the obligation to offer critical commentary and a diversity of views. With the assistance of the UN nations that similar to us firmly believe the rights of the people shall not be tarnished with restrictions we, the kingdom of Norway, support press freedom.

We, ranked number one in Freedom of the Press, demand an inspection and change in the lack of freedoms in other UN countries; this will reinstate the birth right of human rights. We encourage the opposing nations to realize the current issue, Freedom of Press, expresses freedom of expression, taking into account man liberties stripped from the people is an offense.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Pakistan
Delegate Name: Caroline Sawatzki
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan would like to address the United Nations regarding the freedom of the press. The allegation that the government represses the media in Pakistan is entirely false. Freedom of the press is of great importance to not only the President of Pakistan, but to our government as a whole. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s government magnanimously offers such freedom under conditions that the media is not used to slander, defame, or disparage the government, religion, or politicians of Pakistan in any way. Pakistan feels that such an agreement is not only reasonable, but favorable to the Pakistani people. In order to circumvent such activity, Pakistan has implemented a series of laws and regulations governing both printed and electronic media. These acts are not meant to repress the ideas and opinions of the Pakistani people or to keep ignorant of government activities but to ensure that the media is free from offensive material.

Pakistan feels that accusations of a repressed media are fallacies contrived by those who would lead others to believe that Pakistan is a backward country with archaic views and beliefs. It should be noted that the progress of Pakistani media and the myriad of contemporary improvements in this arena have yet to be mentioned by critics of our laws governing the press.

Similar to the successful media in Pakistan, we believe that freedom of the press is an important global issue. We are committed to ensuring the ability of the press to report accurately, and we are equally as committed to preserving the ability of state governments to lead their people safely. Accordingly, Pakistan will support measures that responsible provide free press and maintain national sovereignty.

Respectfully submitted,

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Poland
Delegate Name: Sabine Bickford
School: Saline High School

The Republic of Poland fully supports the idea of freedom of the press. This is clearly demonstrated in previous as well as current Polish legislation. Poland first made freedom of speech law, in its Little Constitution (in 1992), followed by the Constitution in 1997, according to which everybody has the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas -including the press. Censorship itself, was in fact abolished by the Polish Parliament in 1990. Poland also signed the European Convention on Human Rights in 1993. The Tenth Article of the ECHR states that everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right includes freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.

Under Polish law, freedom of the press comes under the meaning of freedom of speech. In order to uphold this law and protect the freedom of the press, the Press Freedom Monitoring Center was established in 1996. Its main aims are -acting by the Polish Journalists Association- to protect journalists’ freedom to find the sources of information, to strengthen the system of free press and electronic media and to guarantee a proper usage of freedom of speech.

While Poland itself hasn't had any major issues concerning the freedom of its press, it is deeply disturbed by the amount of violence that is a part if life for many members of the press, and would like to eliminate the high risk that many journalists, who are simply trying to report the news in an accurate and unbiased manner, have to face every day

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Russia
Delegate Name: Nicole Stancil
School: Forest Hills Central High School

In 2005, the Commissioner for Human Rights of Europe Ekho Moskvy said there was pressure on media from authorities in Russia's regions, and the situation with the central media caused concerns, as many central TV media looked to lose former independence; his conclusion was that the most important task in Russia was to protect the victories of the 1991 Law on mass media, and to let journalists work fully independently; yet he said that with all the difficulties the Russian media were free as a whole, and the fact he was interviewed in a direct broadcast without censorship spoke also about the presence of press freedom. Obviously Russia is moving in a positive direction on this issue, as we have made many advances since this interview.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of Russia Vladimir Lukin reported in 2006, that suggesting that freedom of speech is non-existent in Russia would be an exaggeration, the constitutional right for speech freedom is basically observed, as well as there's no institutionalized censorship. Apparently for these very reasons journalists and publishers seldom appeal to the Commissioner protesting restrictions of their right of seeking, receiving, transferring, publishing or distributing information. Yet disguised restrictions exist to a considerable degree, they are often put through the economic pressure on mass media by the authorities and loyal business. The so-called "self-censorship" which induces journalists to refrain from disseminating information, which, in their opinion, may not please the authorities, is also widespread. So in many places the right to praise the authorities is ensured, while the opposite right is just formally declared. (The Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation 2006)

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Somalia
Delegate Name: Alec Malstrom
School: Cranbrook Kingswood

The delegation of Somalia believes in Freedom of Press in most cases, however can understand certain restrictions. It is a country’s duty to protect the country it represents and sometimes that means restricting personal freedoms in order to protect the country’s freedoms. For the most part, we, the delegation, believe in personal freedoms including the freedom of press. However, in some instances, including war, treason, and danger to the country, it is better to save the country’s freedom as a whole rather than the individual freedom of certain citizens. In certain circumstances it is a major threat to the government when some citizens are given the right to print whatever they please, and countries like our own is in no position to deal with threats made by rebels and antagonists. The delegation is trying to be reasonable but believes that the United Nations should not have control over personal freedoms.

During the Somali civil war, our government put a restriction on freedom of press, speech, assembly, etc. in order to keep order in our country. Personal freedoms are great until they begin to threaten the lives of innocent citizens and officials in our country. The delegation of Somalia would like to see a resolution passed stating that freedom of press is permitted with a special clause for certain situations where it is necessary to restrict the freedoms of citizens when they become a threat to the country. Our delegation believes that certain rights should be guaranteed and certain should be a privilege that can be taken away if necessary.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: South Korea
Delegate Name: Emily Lane
School: Forest Hills Central High School

South Korea believes that freedom of the press is an important human right and should be protected as long as it does not inflict upon the safety of the country as a whole. It is important to realize that the safety of the entire country is more important than the protection of freedom of the press. South Korea is a new democracy and we have come a long way in the past years to give people freedom. However, it is dangerous to South Korea when its citizens talk about communism and anti-state ideas. Anti-government propaganda could be very damaging while our government is trying to secure its’ young democracy. Because of the delicate situation with North Korea, and the fact that South Korea is a newly formed democracy, it is very important that the people of South Korea stay loyal to our country. At any given time there are over a million and a half battle ready soldiers patrolling the border between North and South Korea. Waiting for a war to begin at any time can create a great stress and allowing news people to talk and write about communism and promote positions that go against the government could influence the citizens and ruin the newly formed democracy that has been put in place before it has a chance to succeed. Anti-government positions could also contribute to the tension already high in the demilitarized zone which could result in a war and bring in North Korean anti democratic influence.

In order to help South Korea give our people more freedom of press we would need the UN to help us form a good relationship with North Korea. We need the UN to help other countries understand the fact that we must remove those who are talking about anti-state activities to preserve the country as a whole. If we did not do this, it could ruin our newly formed democracy.

Somalia is one country with views similar to those of South Korea. They stated that they believe freedom of the press is good with some restrictions. They could help our case by helping other countries to understand that full freedom of the press can be toxic to the country. Guatemala could also help South Korea’s case because they could explain to the body the fact that full freedom of the press is not in all cases good. The United Kingdom makes a good point when they state that countries should have the right to decide not to disclose information that could be harmful to its citizens and they could also help in South Korea’s case.

Those countries who believe that Freedom of the press should be unrestricted could impede on the efforts of my country to become a stable democracy. Their views go against what South Korea believes is needed to help the country as a whole.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Sudan
Delegate Name: Danielle Dow
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School

In the Sudan, there used to no freedom of the press. That is, there used to be no freedom of the press until September 29, 2009, when President Omer Al-Bashir lifted the censorship previously placed on the Sudanese press. Though he lifted the censorship, he advised against the editors in chief publishing items or opinions that would mix “what is patriotic and what is destructive to the nation, sovereignty, security, values and its morality” and “avoid what leads to exceeding the red lines”. These words come from our President Al-Bashir himself and we support him. This policy is new to the country of Sudan, so we would appreciate some leniency towards us as we continue to convert all of our press to no censorship and let our citizens adjust themselves to this new change.

We encourage the rest of the world that does enforce censorship on their national press to follow us, and other countries such as the United States, England, Canada, Italy and other’s example and disbar their censorship in order to ensure equal rights to all of the news bureaus that reach all of the citizens of the world. This is a critical change for the entire world, as every citizen deserves to be able to receive news free from censorship. We would support all those who choose to change their censorship status in their transition and in any resulting conflicts.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: United Kingdom
Delegate Name: Ben McGowan
School: Cranbrook Kingswood

As stated in the Article 19 of the United Nation’s declarations of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” The United Kingdom does not fully back this definition. But rather is in accordance with article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The safety and security of its people is the United Kingdom’s first priority. Therefore, the delegation of The United Kingdom believes it is its responsibility to protect confidential information and documents from being leaked to the press and exposed to sources that could use it to attack and hurt the citizens of the United Kingdom.

The delegation of the United Kingdom believes that the safety of fellow United Nation member’s citizens should be their first responsibility. Therefore the Delegation of the United Kingdom urges the United Nation to amend Article 19 in order to give Nations the right to protect information that could inflict harm on innocent citizens. The United Kingdom secured this right for its government by passing the Official Secrets Act 1989. The United Kingdom has had to exercise this right in order to protect its government and people in the trail of Clive Ponting. The delegation of the United Kingdom hopes UNESCO would be willing to work with our delegation to educate others on the importance of protecting confidential information. The delegation of the United Kingdom hopes to establish a better policy on freedom of the press that would give government the power to protect information from reaching dangerous hands.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: United States
Delegate Name: John Bihn
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy

The United States of America is alarmed by the inability of reporters to provide information to the people of their nations because of suppressive governmental policies. Many journalists cannot express accurate and useful information because their government is censoring their works. Many people rely on only government-run sources of media for information. With these types of media being the only types available to the public, not only could it lead to misinformation, it could potentially lead to the brainwashing of an entire country.

However, governments are not the only bodies preventing their work. There are many other groups who do not support reporter’s viewpoints, and they are turning to the assassination of the members of the press. The most recent of which, occurring on October 11, was the death of radio station presenter Fabian Rameriz Lopez. This was the sixth assassination of a member of the press in Mexico this year, something by which the United States is deeply disturbed. Freedom of the press is a freedom protected by the UN and is one of the fundamental principles in the United States’ Bill of Rights. However, a number of countries around the world are having trouble protecting this freedom, such as the Philippines, Somalia and Iraq.

At this conference, the United States desires to enforce past resolutions protecting free press, as freedom of the press is a crucial part of any successful democracy. The United States calls upon the UN to strengthen these resolutions to end the struggles that members of the press face while trying to report information. With these persecutions in mind, the United States supports the effort of UNESCO to spread awareness to the world of this dilemma. Lastly, the United States encourages the fellow members of the United Nations to keep an open mind and work together during this conference.

Topic: Freedom of the Press
Country: Venezuela
Delegate Name: Hannah Gingerich
School: Saline High School

Venezuela agrees that, as stated by Article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of the press is fundamental to developing a stable democratic society. However, our country firmly recognizes that complete and total freedom of the press cannot be achieved as of now, as media that proves harmful to our country’s societal and political infrastructure can not be tolerated.

Venezuela has worked hard to achieve its goal of balancing freedom of the press with its duty to maintain a stable society. Our country is a member state of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an active organ of the Organization of American States. IACHR’s Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression, Dr. Ignacio Álvarez, is in fact Venezuelan. As a member of this commission, our nation actively works to promote human rights, including freedom of the press, within its borders and beyond.

In recent years, Venezuela has been heavily criticized by organizations advocating freedom of the press, as well as freedom of speech. The shut-down of many television and radio broadcasting networks in our country has been denounced by many world leaders and organizations. Our president, Hugo Chávez, has drawn negative light for requiring that every Venezuelan news station, public or not public, broadcast his speeches in entirety. Our nation has responded to such criticism in a dignified matter; our government has made it clear that shutting down certain broadcasting networks was done so with the purpose of maintaining the stability of our government. There is a distinction between loyal opposition and lethal opposition, and Venezuela has confronted only the latter, recognizing loyal opposition as a healthy component of any stable society.

Venezuela hopes that this committee may work together to progress the status of freedom of the press around the world. Our country would like to use discussion as a tool to illuminate the current status of media freedom in many countries, as well as to address some of the criticism our government have received in recent years.

Venezuela realizes the need for freedom of the press and is open to the progress of such freedom within its borders; at the same time, our country stands firm in its belief that this freedom must be monitored as long as harmful opposition, a threat to the stability of our nation, exists.