CoE Democratic Governance Head Luciani to EF: ReNew Journalism Concept v. Challenges = Serious Issue

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- Speaking at a CoE Press Conference on a very Topical forthcoming "World Democracy Forum" for 2015, Next Week in Strasbourg, (See Infra), the PanEuropean Organisation's Director for Democratic Governance, Claudia Luciani, replied to "Eurofora"s Questions on the Need to Better Define Journalism Today in order to Face New Challenges, (Comp. f.ex.: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/iachrcoebookandefjsgonjournalismdefinition.html ), by stressing that "this is a very Serious Issue", which should be Carefuly Examined and deserved Further Consideration, after thorough Analysis, and possibly Debated also at this WDF.

    The move came shortly after Strasbourg's vice-Mayor for European/International relations, Nawel Rafik-Elmrini, observed that, following the 2014 Attribution of "Reporters without Borders" Prize in Strasbourg to the Jailed and ill-treated, Saudi Internet Dissident El-Badawi, that EU Parliament has just Decided here to Honour also with its "Sakharov Prize" for Freedom of Thought on December 2015, the RSF have anounced that they will Organise, in Cooperation with the WDF, a special Conference on the Freedom of Press NGO's 25 Years of History, also Next Week in Strasbourg.

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    On this occasion, "EuroFora" pointed in Addition to the Fact that, in a Similar Line as the above mentioned RSF Initiatives, it's also the New York based "Committee to Protect Journalists" which anounced this week its intention to Give its Annual 2015 Prize to a Team of Internet Activists of the Group "Silently Slaughtered in Raqua", 2 Members of whom have just been Murdetred and atrociously BeHeaded in Turkey, for Publicing Original News about Deadly Human Rights Violations committed in the Territories Occupied by the Extremist islamic Terrorists of ISIL's atrocious BeHeaders, at Syrian Lands Bordering Turkey, according to Reports found and send by about 18 Activists, Risking their Lives, (and among whom, one was killed recently).

    + Moreover, Noting the Fact that, while that 2014 RSF's Prize to jailed and ill-treated Internet Dissident El-Badawi had been Specialy Named as being a "NETIZEN" issue, (i.e. concerning "Citizens of the Net"), on the Contrary, CPJ's anounced Prize for the Murdered Internet Activists of the "Silently Slaughtering in Raqua" Group, (Comp. Supra), mentioned the International NGO's normal Annual Prize, without making yet any Distinction here between those Heroic Victims who Sacrificed even their Lives to Denounce serious Human Rights Violations,  vis a vis Traditional Journalists,

    ++ "EuroFora" observed also that, by an Astonishing but Good Coincidence, all this occured at the Eve of the 30th Anniversary (1985-2015) of an Historic Decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which had Unanimously Denounced as Contrary to the Convention of Human Rights any attempt to Restrict Journalism only to an Old, Traditional and Bureaucratic MisConception, (which, Unforrtunately, too often, is still Abused by some unscrupulous or ignorant Bureaucrats, here or there in Europe), Hindering the due Protection of all those who are Regularly Engaged into Searching, Finding and Publishing Original News of General Interest for the Society, particularly on Hotly Debated matters which Affect People's Lives, as is Required not only by Respect of their own Freedom of Expression, but, Most Importantly, for the Sake of Democracy itself, (See even Textual Analysis of that landmark IACHR Viewpoint, already send to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors, at:http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/iachrcoebookandefjsgonjournalismdefinition.html ).

    +++ Given also the Fact, that this IACHR Historic Decision had been just evoked by a CoE's Expert during a "Freedom of Expresssion and Democracy" Conference at the PanEuropean Organization's Headquarters a few Weeks ago in Strasbourg, Asking the Body made for "Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law",  to "Urgently" Help  Update the Definition of Journalists, (something which appears also Supported, Nowadays, even by Experienced, former long-time SG of European/International Federation of Journalists, and currently "Ethical Journalism Network's" Director, Aidan White, particularly if Press Deontology is Respected and Practiced : Comp. Ibid), in consequence, "EuroFora" asked if this Topical Point could be Discussed during the forthcoming WDF, considering also that all this is even officialy (f.ex. IACHR) and explicitly linked to Democracy     

    - Replying to "EuroFora"s Question, the competent CoE's Director for Democratic Governance, Claudia Luciani, didn't exclude at all that this Might, indeed, Start to be done at the occasion of Next Week's events, (Comp. also Infra),     

    => - But, interestingly, Luciani preferred, in this regard, to Focus from the outset on CoE's recently established "Platform" for the "Protection" and "Safety" of "Journalists" :  

    - I.e., a CoE Assembly-supported, Pan-European Website, dedicated on Press Freedom, where a Team from Independent International NGOs can Publish concrete "Alerts" in case of Serious Threats against Journalists' News Reporting Activities, (See, f.ex.: ....).

    - It's in this framework that CoE cooperates, in particular, with the New York-based "Committee to Protect Journalists", that "EuroFora" had mentioned, (Comp. Supra), as well as, several Other relevant  European/International NGOs,, as she observed.

    - This Platform is mainly due to cover CoE's 47 Member States, (i.e. including f.ex. Turkey, where those Murders of 2 Key Members of the "SSIR" Internet Activists Group, has recently taken place reportedly by the concerned "ISIL" Terrrorists ; Comp. Supra), but, in fact, can also have a quite Larger Impact, according to what the Experienced CoE's Senior Official pointed out :

    >>>- Indeed, that CoE's Press Freedom Platform is, in principle, Able to Protect Journalists' activities whenever they might be put in Danger, not only by various Agents of the State in which they are living, but also by "Various Other Entities", Differend from the Government of the Host Country, the CoE's competent Director noted, in this regard : A particularly Important observation, concerning Journalists' areas of activities, as well as the Multifacet Prtivate and/or Foreign Interests possibly at Stake, various Trans-National bodies and/or Networks, Economic or Political Lobbies, Terrorists, etc.

    - However, this doesn't necessarily mean that all those various cases to which you referred would certainly be included entirely in that CoE's Platform, Luciani carefuly added later to "EuroFora", always concerning this Same Question, (Comp. Supra).

    => - But, "this is a Very Serious Question", which needs a careful and thorough examination of the facts, (including, f.ex., that CoE Platforms' precise "Terms of Reference", etc), and must be studied, analyzed and debated seriously, well before any final answer might be given in the future, CoE's Director for Democratic Governancen, Claudia Luciani, concluded, in substance, at her Reply to "EuroFora"s Questions on an "Enlargement of the Protection" due to Journalistic activities, also in certain adjacent cases of Regularly Engaged Practitioners of Freedom of Expression, (accordi to a Wording often used aloso by the above-mentioned, Historic IACHR Decision : Comp. Supra, and : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/iachrcoebookandefjsgonjournalismdefinition.html ).

    In other words, the Competent CoE's Director apparently Confirmed that the PanEuropean Organisation's Final Reply to the Issue that has been Raised, still Remains Open to eventual Future Developments...

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    Significantly, all these Parallel Moves evolve while the Official Agenda of this Year's "World Democracy Forum"'s Mega-Meetings in Strasbourg focuses mainly on a Series of Issues apparently Inspired by the situation provoked in France and all Europe after the January 2015 Massacre of "Charlie Hebdo"'s Critical Journalists and innocent Civilian Jewish People by 3 Gunmen reportedly linked with Extremist Islamic Terrorists of ISIL's atrocious BeHeaders, seen here as a kind of European "9/11" :

    F.ex., after Discussing how to find the Right Balance between the necessary "Surveillance" and respect for Individual Freedoms in a Democracy, a Huge Number of Participants from all over Europe, but also the World, (including not only Russia, but also the USA, etc), are invited to Search ways to ReEstablish "Trust" in nowadays Societies, as well as "Medias' Responsibility in a context of Terrorist Threats", (etc).

    - To put it in a Nutshell, as the French Permanent Representative at the CoE, Ambassador Jocelyne Caballero stressed, in other words, "in fact, it's about how to ensure that People will be Free of any Fear !"

    It's the 1st Time that a CoE's Annual "World Democracy Forum" will stand so Close to Topical Issues of Great Practical Importance and almost Immediate Relevance to Recent, still On-Going, or even Soon Forthcoming Legislative, Political and other Developments in so Delicate Fields of Crucial Importance for Democratic Societies and Human Rights : Indeed, the Previous 3 Versions, had been either Mediaticaly "Hijacked" by UNO Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's venue, back on 2012, amidst a Strong International Environment, or Focused on the Search of Innovative Methods for the ReVitalisation of Democracy in Modern Societies using Internet and other New Information/Communication Technologies, back on 2013, followed by the Exploration of Challenges and New Energies emerging among Young People, as in last year (2014), Luciani reminded.

    I.e., it's always about Contributing in "the Development of an International Democratic Conscience", stressed Strasbourg's Mayor, Senator Roland Ries, challenged by the Young Representative of Strasbourg Region Alsace, (which also Supports Financialy the WDM, in addition to awarding each Year a Prize for "Commitment to Democracy", which went, succesively, to an Afghan Refugee Journalist, to the Head of "Change.Ord" Petition Website, and to an active Tunisian Blogger), Pascal Mangin, who pleaded for a Better Efficiency of resources, particularly in order to augment the Global Visibility of the recurrent Annual WDF Mega-events.

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(NDLR : "DraftNews", as already send to "EuroFora"'s Subscribers/Donors, earlier. A more accurate, full Final Version might be Published asap).

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