Principles of the declaration approved by the Hemisphere Conference on Free Speech p. 11

By: M.L. Stein

THE HEMISPHERE CONFERENCE on Free Speech in Mexico City recently agreed on the following principles, which follow in the conference's "unofficial English text:"
"A free press is the foundation of liberty, enabling societies to resolve conflicts, promote the social welfare and protect freedom. There must be no law abridging freedom of speech or of the press. Because we know this to be a reality, because we know this in our hearts and because we are committed to freedom, we, the undersigned, subscribe to this Declaration and through it declare the following principles:
1. A society of free individuals cannot remain free without free speech and freedom of the press. The exercise of these freedoms is not something authorities grant; it is an inalienable right of the people.
2. Everyone has the right to seek and receive information, express opinions and disseminate them freely. No one has the right to restrict or deny these rights.
3. Government authorities should be legally obliged to make all information available to its citizens. No journalist should be forced to reveal his or her sources.
4. Murder, kidnapping, other violence against journalists, political pressures, intimidation, unjust imprisonment of journalists [and] destruction of facilities severely impede freedom of expression and information. These acts must be investigated quickly and punished with severity, with no impunity for aggressors.
5. Censorship, restrictions on the circulation of media or the dissemination of messages, the imposition of obstacles to free information flow and limits to the free exercise of journalism and restrictions on the movement of journalists are in direct opposition to freedom of the press.
6. News media and journalists should neither be discriminated against nor favored because of what they write or say.
7. Tariff and exchange rate policies, licenses for the import of newsprint or equipment, and the granting or withdrawal of state advertising should not be used to reward or punish the media or journalists.
8. Membership in professional associations, the holding of professional licenses, or registration of journalists or media should be strictly voluntary.
9. The credibility of the press depends on its commitment to truth and the pursuit of accuracy, impartiality and fairness and to the clear differentiation between journalistic and commercial messages. Standards of journalism should not be imposed by others who, for whatever reason, seek to substitute their version of standards, therefore imposing their control. In a free society, the public ultimately decides what it prefers and what it rejects.
10. Neither news media nor journalists shall be punished for disseminating the truth or for criticizing authorities ? an important part of their function in a free society.
The struggle for freedom of expression and press, in any of its forms, is not a single day's task; it is, and should be, our permanent goal.
It is an essential cause for democracy in our hemisphere and in our civilization. It is not only the bulwark, the antidote against all abuse of power, it is the political ventilation of society.
To defend it daily is to honor our history and to define our destiny."