WORLD PRESS FREEDOM
APRIL 6, 1996
ANNCR: ON THE LINE -- A DISCUSSION OF UNITED STATES
POLICIES AND CONTEMPORARY ISSUES.
THIS WEEK, "WORLD PRESS FREEDOM." HERE IS YOUR
HOST, ROBERT REILLY.
HOST: HELLO AND WELCOME TO ON THE LINE.
A FREE PRESS IS A CORNERSTONE OF DEMOCRACY. IT
IS ESSENTIAL FOR HOLDING GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABLE.
AND CITIZENS HAVE THE RIGHT TO HEAR THE TRUTH
ABOUT THEIR OWN COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. WITH THE
DEMISE OF SOVIET COMMUNISM, RUSSIA AND A NUMBER
OF COUNTRIES IN EASTERN EUROPE ARE ATTEMPTING TO
ESTABLISH A FREE PRESS FOR THE FIRST TIME. BUT
THE SURVIVING COMMUNIST REGIMES -- AMONG THEM,
CHINA, CUBA AND NORTH KOREA -- CONTINUE TO
SUPPRESS FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND OF THE PRESS.
AND MANY AUTHORITARIAN GOVERNMENTS IN ASIA,
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST SEEK TO DO THE SAME.
JOINING ME TODAY TO DISCUSS PRESS FREEDOM AROUND
THE WORLD ARE THREE EXPERTS. GEOFFREY COWAN IS
THE DIRECTOR OF THE VOICE OF AMERICA. LEONARD
SUSSMAN IS SENIOR SCHOLAR FOR INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNICATIONS AT FREEDOM HOUSE. AND LISA ELLIS
IS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
FOR FREEDOM FORUM, AN EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO FREE SPEECH. WELCOME TO THE
PROGRAM, EVERYONE.
MR. COWAN, AS PART OF THE VOICE OF AMERICA'S
FIFTY-FOURTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, YOU HELD
A CONFERENCE EXAMINING PRESS FREEDOM AROUND THE
WORLD. WHAT DID YOU FIND?
COWAN: WELL, IN FACT, MR. SUSSMAN WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE
WHO WERE PART OF THAT SESSION. WE ACTUALLY
SPENT THE ENTIRE WEEK, WHICH WAS A CELEBRATION
OF OUR FIFTY-FOURTH ANNIVERSARY, AS YOU SAY,
TALKING ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM AROUND THE WORLD.
AND EVERY ONE OF OUR FORTY-SEVEN LANGUAGE
SERVICES TALKED ABOUT THE STATUS OF PRESS
FREEDOM IN THE COUNTRIES THAT IT SERVES. AND OF
COURSE, WHAT YOU DO FIND IN THE WORLD TODAY IS,
ON THE ONE HAND, WE'RE MOVING TOWARD DEMOCRACIES
IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD AND MANY PEOPLE ARE
STRUGGLING FOR A FREE PRESS. BUT WE HAVE MANY,
MANY PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD TODAY, NOT JUST
CENSORSHIP AS IT USED TO EXIST -- THE GOVERNMENT
COMING IN AND CLOSING DOWN NEWSPAPERS, SAYING
YOU CAN'T PRINT SOMETHING -- BUT ALSO REPORTERS
BEING KILLED, WHICH IS HAPPENING IN MANY PARTS
OF THE WORLD, INCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, ALGERIA --
AND SOME V-O-A REPORTERS AND STRINGERS HAVE BEEN
IN THAT SITUATION -- BUT ALSO LIBEL LAWS, WHICH
ARE USED IN COUNTRIES LIKE MALAYSIA TO THREATEN
AN INDEPENDENT AND FREE PRESS. SO WE EXPLORED
ALL OF THOSE AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR FREEDOM
OF THE PRESS AROUND THE WORLD AND I THINK WE
FOUND THAT WE ALL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO.
HOST: MR. SUSSMAN, LET ME ASK YOU THE SAME QUESTION
WITH THIS PARTICULAR IDEA. HAS THE SEEMING
TRIUMPH OF DEMOCRACY IN SO MANY PLACES IN THE
WORLD -- THE FORMER SOVIET UNION, THE ADVANCE OF
DEMOCRACY IN LATIN AMERICA -- BEEN ACCOMPANIED
BY A CONCURRENT INCREASE IN PRESS FREEDOM AND
FREEDOM OF SPEECH?
SUSSMAN: WELL, IT HAS TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. I THINK THE
PROBLEM ALWAYS WITH SOCIETIES THAT OPEN UP IS
THAT THEY OPEN AND THEN YOU FIND A GREAT DEAL OF
DIVISIVENESS AS A CONSEQUENCE. THEIR PRIOR LIFE
WAS AUTHORITARIAN OR TOTALITARIAN. SUDDENLY,
PEOPLE FEEL THAT THEY CAN MOVE ABOUT MORE
FREELY. AND THIS TENDS TO FRIGHTEN SOME
GOVERNMENTS, EVEN THOSE GOVERNMENTS THAT SAY
THEY'RE COMMITTED TO A MORE OPEN SOCIETY, TO A
MARKET ECONOMY, FOR EXAMPLE. AND SO THEY'RE
GOING TO BEGIN TO CLAMP DOWN IN VARIOUS WAYS,
AND SOMETIMES VERY SOPHISTICATED WAYS:
ECONOMICALLY, PRESSURES ON JOURNALISTS,
THREATENING THEM WITH THEIR CAREERS, THREATENING
THEM WITH THEIR LIVES IN SOME RESPECTS. SOME
SIXTY JOURNALISTS WERE KILLED LAST YEAR AROUND
THE WORLD AND THIS IS THE ULTIMATE CENSORSHIP,
OF COURSE, IS THE MURDER OF A JOURNALIST. AND
IT TENDS TO COOL EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON FOR
AWHILE WITHIN THAT SOCIETY. THAT AND ALL THE
HARASSMENTS THAT GO ON IN SO MANY COUNTRIES. AT
ONE POINT, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I TRIED TO LIST
THE VARIETY OF HARASSMENTS: SOME EIGHTY-TWO
DIFFERENT WAYS THAT GOVERNMENTS USE TO SIT ON
THEIR JOURNALISTS, OR THREATEN THEM, OR IN OTHER
WAYS CONTROL THE CONTENT, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT
THIS ALL AMOUNTS TO. THE CENSORSHIP OR THE MORE
SOPHISTICATED USES OF IT IS ESSENTIALLY FOR THE
PURPOSE OF KEEPING FROM THEIR OWN PEOPLE IDEAS
WHICH THEY THINK MAY SOMEHOW HURT THE RULING
GROUPS IF THESE IDEAS BECAME MUCH MORE VIABLE,
MUCH MORE COMMON.
HOST: MS. ELLIS, LET ME ASK YOU: DO YOU SEE AN OVERALL
IMPROVEMENT IN THE SITUATION AS OPPOSED TO TEN
YEARS AGO, OR IS IT A PRETTY MUDDY, MIXED
PICTURE?
ELLIS: I THINK THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY HAS ALLOWED US TO TRACK AND MONITOR
THE THREATS TO PRESS FREEDOM WORLDWIDE MORE THAN
BEFORE. FROM FARTHER AWAY WE GET INFORMATION
MORE QUICKLY. I THINK THE BAD NEWS IS THAT THE
STORY REALLY IS NOT IMPROVING MUCH, ESPECIALLY
THIS YEAR. AND THE NUMBER OF JOURNALISTS WHO'VE
BEEN KILLED. AND THE THREATS REALLY ARE
POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, CERTAINLY PHYSICAL. I
THINK THAT THERE'S MUCH MORE THAT CAN BE DONE BY
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT
JOURNALISTS AROUND THE WORLD.
HOST: LIKE WHAT?
ELLIS: WELL, AT THE FREEDOM FORUM, THIS YEAR'S THEME
HAPPENS TO BE "JOURNALISTS IN PERIL AND MEDIA
UNDER SIEGE". AND, WE'RE HOSTING A VARIETY OF
PRESS OR MEDIA FORUMS WORLDWIDE. WE JUST
FINISHED ONE IN HONG KONG. WE WANT TO DO ONE
VERY SOON IN LONDON. AND WE'RE PUTTING THE
SPOTLIGHT ON THOSE REGIONS; PARTICULAR COUNTRIES
WHERE THERE ARE ABUSES OF PRESS FREEDOM.
HOST: SO, YOU'RE SAYING IN A WAY, THAT THE ANSWER TO
PRESS SUPPRESSION IS MORE PRESS.
ELLIS: I THINK: SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON THEM.
HOST: AND WHICH COUNTRIES ARE YOU GOING TO POINT TO?
ELLIS: CERTAINLY IN EUROPE, THE HOT SPOTS WOULD BE
FORMER YUGOSLAVIA, BOSNIA AND THOSE ARE THE
OBVIOUS ONES. CHECHNYA -- THE NUMBER OF
JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE BEEN KILLED TRYING TO GET
THE STORY THERE. RUSSIA -- THE ORGANIZED OR NOT
SO ORGANIZED MAFIA, ORGANIZED CRIME, WELL, I
THINK, DIRECTLY RESULTS IN THE ASSASSINATIONS OF
JOURNALISTS, AND MOST RECENTLY A
PHOTO-JOURNALIST. NORTHERN IRELAND CERTAINLY IS
WORTH LOOKING AT. WORLDWIDE. I COULD GO ON.
HOST: LET ME ASK YOU A LITTLE MORE THEORETICAL
QUESTION ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM AS AN ABSOLUTE
RIGHT, PARTICULARLY IN COUNTRIES WHICH ARE IN
TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY. A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE:
RUSSIA, WHICH IS FACING A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
THIS JUNE. IT LOOKS VERY LIKELY AS IF IT MAY BE
A CHOICE BETWEEN PRESIDENT YELTSIN AND A
RESURGENT COMMUNIST PARTY. NOW, IF A FREE PRESS
ATTACKS PRESIDENT YELTSIN WITH THE EFFECT OF
VICTORY FOR THE COMMUNISTS, WHO THEN MAY VERY
WELL RESTRICT THAT FREE PRESS, WHAT IS THEIR
RESPONSIBILITY IN THAT SITUATION?
COWAN: WELL, I THINK THIS DILEMMA ALSO EXTENDS TO THE
QUESTION OF DEMOCRACY. DO WE BELIEVE IN
DEMOCRACY IF THE RESULTS ARE ONES THAT WE DON'T
LIKE IN TERMS OF WHO COMES TO POWER? AND I
THINK THE UNITED STATES POSITION IS, YES. WE DO
BELIEVE DEMOCRACY IS A GOOD THING IN ITSELF EVEN
IF SOMETIMES IT LEADS TO GOVERNMENTS THAT WE
MIGHT NOT CONSIDER TO BE ALLIES. AND THE SAME
THING'S TRUE OF A FREE PRESS AND FREE
EXPRESSION. WE'RE DEDICATED TO THOSE IDEALS.
WHETHER THOSE IDEALS ARE ABSOLUTE IN EACH
INSTANCE IS SOMETHING, OF COURSE, THAT WE'VE
STRUGGLED WITH INSIDE THE UNITED STATES. AND
FOR US TO SPEAK OF OTHER COUNTRIES AND SAY THAT
THEY SHOULD BE PERFECT, I THINK, WOULD BE TO
IGNORE OUR OWN HISTORY AND OUR OWN FEELINGS.
BUT, THIS IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE. THE MOST
INTERESTING THING, THOUGH, THAT I THINK IS
EMERGING IN THE WORLD TODAY, BOB -- YOU TALKED
ABOUT WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES OVER TIME -- IS
THAT THERE IS A NEW MODEL THAT SOME PEOPLE ARE
LOOKING AT OF DEMOCRACY AND FREE INSTITUTIONS,
AND THAT IS CHINA. AND PEOPLE USED TO THINK YOU
HAD TO HAVE A GOVERNMENT THAT CONTROLLED EVERY
PART OF THE SOCIETY INCLUDING THE MARKETS AND
ALSO WOULD CONTROL THE MEDIA AND IT WOULD
CONTROL POLITICS. AND THAT THAT WAS UP AGAINST
THE UNITED STATES, WHICH BELIEVED IN FREE
INSTITUTIONS. INSTEAD, YOU'RE FINDING A MODEL
IN WHICH THERE CAN BE SOMEWHAT MORE OPEN
ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS BUT STILL A VERY CLOSED
POLITICAL AND PRESS SYSTEM. AND UNFORTUNATELY
FROM AMERICA'S STANDPOINT, THAT MODEL IS HAVING
A LOT OF APPEAL IN THE WORLD. BUT I THINK IT'S
PART OF THE CONTEST OF IDEAS THAT WE'RE ENGAGED
IN TODAY.
HOST: BUT, AS WE KNOW, RECENTLY, CHINA HAS TAKEN UPON
ITSELF THE CENSORSHIP OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
BY CHANNELING ALL BUSINESS NEWS THROUGH A STATE
AGENCY.,
SUSSMAN: AND CLOSING DOWN ONE OF THE NEWSPAPERS THAT WAS
CONCENTRATING ON FINANCIAL NEWS, AS A MATTER OF
FACT, FROM SHANGHAI. BUT, THERE'S ANOTHER WAY
OF ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION. THE QUESTION OF
WHAT A JOURNALIST SHOULD DO IN THE CASE OF
RUSSIA, FOR EXAMPLE, WHERE THERE IS THIS
TERRIBLE ALTERNATIVE. SOME GOVERNMENTS ARE NOW
SAYING THAT THE PRESS MUST BE, QUOTE,
RESPONSIBLE, UNQUOTE. AND THAT IS NOW WRITTEN
INTO MANY CONSTITUTIONS, MANY PRESS LAWS IN SOME
OF THE NEW SOCIETIES. BUT THE QUESTION IS: WHO
IS TO DETERMINE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
JOURNALIST? IS IT THE JOURNALIST, OR THE
JOURNALIST'S SOCIETY, OR THE MANAGER OF THE
NEWSPAPER OR RADIO STATION, OR IS IT THE
GOVERNMENT?
HOST: WELL IS THERE A CRITERION OF TRUTH AGAINST WHICH
RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM CAN BE MEASURED?
SUSSMAN: I THINK THERE IS IN TERMS OF THE INTERNAL
CONTROLS WITHIN JOURNALISM SHOULD PROVIDE THAT.
ONCE YOU ALLOW GOVERNMENT TO DO IT, THEN YOU'RE
BACK TO THE OLD GAME OF SIMPLY HAVING REPRESSION
AND SUPPRESSION. AND YET, EVEN WESTERN EUROPE
AT THIS POINT, SPENT TWO YEARS NOW DISCUSSING
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE JOURNALIST AND THAT
SHOULD BE WRITTEN INTO LAW SOMEHOW. IT'S HARD
TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE WESTERN EUROPEANS CAN
SOMEHOW BE DISCUSSING THIS VERY ASPECT OF THE
FIELD, WHICH WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT UP IN UNESCO
FOR SO MANY YEARS, THEY REALLY OPPOSED IT WITH
ALL THEIR MIGHT. AND NOW THEY'RE BACK AT THE
STAND, WHICH IS PICKED UP BY ASIAN COUNTRIES
VERY OFTEN. THEY SAY, "YES, WHAT WE WANT IS
RESPONSIBLE JOURNALISM AND THE GOVERNMENT CAN
DETERMINE THAT. WELL, THIS AGAIN IS SIMPLY A
SOFTER WAY OF COMING TO CONTROL.
HOST: LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION, BECAUSE, MS. ELLIS,
YOU'VE MENTIONED THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT MAKE
IT EASIER TO OVERCOME SOME OF THESE BARRIERS.
ARE THE ATTEMPTS BY CHINA TO CENSOR INFORMATION,
TO JAM RADIOS, THE ATTEMPTS BY IRAN OF
DESTROYING SATELLITE DISHES ON PEOPLE'S HOMES,
ULTIMATELY FUTILE BECAUSE OF THINGS LIKE FAXES,
INTERNETS, INTERNATIONAL RADIO, ET CETERA?
ELLIS: ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN, THE END OF THE COLD WAR IS
A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT. I MEAN, A FRIEND OF
MINE CALLS IT "WORLD WAR THREE, WITHOUT
BULLETS". IT WAS INFORMATION LEAPING OVER THE
WALLS AND EVENTUALLY THE BERLIN WALL CRUMBLING,
AND IT WAS IN LARGE MEASURE DUE TO VCRS AND
FOREIGN RADIO BROADCASTS, AS WELL AS COMPUTERS
AND DATABASES AND ALL OF THE INFORMATION THAT
THEY COULD NOT KEEP OUT. THE BORDERS SUDDENLY
WERE RIDDLED WITH HOLES, AND I THINK THAT IT'S
GOING TO BE DIFFICULT ALSO FOR THE CHINESE. I
THINK BACK TO THIS VIEW OF ASIAN VALUES --
SOMEHOW BALANCING ECONOMIC PROSPERITY WITH THE
RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES
-- IT'S SO VERY CONVENIENT FOR SOME GOVERNMENTS
IN ASIA TO USE AS REASONS FOR CENSORSHIP OR FOR
ABUSING PRESS FREEDOM. AND, CERTAINLY, THE
FREEDOM FORUM'S MEDIA FORUM IN HONG KONG BROUGHT
THAT TO LIGHT. THERE WERE INDONESIAN
PARTICIPANTS WHO SAID THAT THEY JUST DIDN'T BUY
THIS "ASIAN VALUES." IT WAS CONVENIENT FOR THE
GOVERNMENT BUT NOT FOR THOSE INDEPENDENT
JOURNALISTS.
HOST: IT WOULD SEEM AS LONG AS COUNTRIES LIKE
INDONESIA OR OTHERS WHERE YOU DO FIND OCCASIONS
OF ATTEMPTS TO SUPPRESS THE PRESS. AS LONG AS
THEY DON'T SHUT THEMSELVES OFF FROM EXTERNAL
MEDIA, THERE IS A TREMENDOUS IMPETUS FOR THEM TO
OBSERVE WHAT WE WOULD RECOGNIZE AS FAIR
JOURNALISTIC PRACTICES IN THE WEST. DO YOU FIND
THAT TO BE THE CASE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AT THE
VOICE OF AMERICA?
COWAN: YES, I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS THE VOICE OF
AMERICA AND THE BBC WORLD SERVICE AND OTHERS ARE
SO IMPORTANT IN THE WORLD -- AND I THINK THE
INTERNET WILL FUNCTION IN SOME WAYS IN THE SAME
RESPECT -- IS THAT YOU WANT A PLURALITY, A
DIVERSITY OF VOICES. MOST AMERICANS WHO ARE
INTERESTED IN CURRENT AFFAIRS PROBABLY LISTEN TO
THREE OR FOUR RADIO STATIONS, A COUPLE OF
TELEVISION STATIONS AND READ FOUR OR FIVE
NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSMAGAZINES EVERY WEEK. NOT
BECAUSE ANY ONE HAS THE TRUTH BUT BECAUSE YOU'RE
SEEKING A DIVERSITY OF INFORMATION FOR YOURSELF.
I THINK WHAT THE VOICE OF AMERICA AND OTHER
INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTERS PROVIDE IS THE
OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT DIVERSITY. EACH ONE OF US
THINKS, IN OUR CASE, WE TRY TO BE BALANCED AND
ACCURATE. BUT, AT THE VERY LEAST, WE'RE
CREATING A SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE INSIDE OF
COUNTRIES LIKE THOSE THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING --
FOR EXAMPLE, IN CHINA -- WHERE THE PEOPLE WILL
KNOW THE INFORMATION FROM US AND WHERE THEIR OWN
LOCAL MEDIA WILL FIND IT MORE DIFFICULT TO KEEP
THAT INFORMATION FROM THEM.
HOST: LET ME ASK YOU: WHERE ARE YOU JAMMED TODAY?
COWAN: WELL, THE ONLY TWO COUNTRIES THAT CURRENTLY JAM
U.S. GOVERNMENT BROADCASTS TODAY DIRECTLY ARE
CHINA -- WE ALSO BELIEVE WE ARE BEING JAMMED IN
BURMA, I SHOULD ADD THAT -- AND THEN THE
BROADCASTS OF RADIO AND TELEVISION MARTI ARE
JAMMED IN CUBA. THERE ARE MANY OTHER COUNTRIES
IN WHICH THERE IS GREAT RESISTANCE, AND WHERE
PEOPLE CAN GET IN A LOT OF TROUBLE, OR EVEN BE
SENT TO JAIL, FOR LISTENING TO THE VOICE OF
AMERICA. BUT I THINK THE ONLY PLACE WHERE WE
ARE FORMALLY JAMMED ARE CHINA, MAYBE BURMA, AND
CUBA.
ELLIS: ACCESS TO INFORMATION ISN'T THAT SIMPLE EITHER,
IN PLACES WHERE THERE ARE NO INDEPENDENT NEWS
AGENCIES, AND IT COSTS MONEY TO START THEM AND
TRAIN THEM. THAT'S WHERE THE U.S. HAS TRIED TO
PLAY A ROLE AS BEST THAT THEY CAN. BUT IN
INDONESIA, CERTAIN COLLEAGUES -- JOURNALISTS --
HAVE INFORMED ME THAT THE TIME MAGAZINES THAT
THEY GET HAVE THE ARTICLES CUT OUT OF THEM. SO,
THAT IS A VERY CRITICAL PROBLEM AND I THINK A
ROLE FOR INTERNATIONAL RADIOS. THAT'S ONE THING
YOU CAN'T CUT STORIES OUT OF.
COWAN: NO, AND IN FACT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CHINA.
EVEN THOUGH WE'RE JAMMED THERE, WE COME IN ON SO
MANY DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES AT THE SAME TIME THAT
WE HAVE A HUGE LISTENERSHIP IN CHINA. THERE'S A
RECENT STUDY BY A PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
BEIJING WHO SAYS THAT MORE THAN SEVENTY PERCENT
OF THE COLLEGE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY
COMMUNITY LISTENS TO THE VOICE OF AMERICA ON A
REGULAR BASIS. AND WE CLEARLY HAVE A HUGE
LISTENERSHIP IN THAT COUNTRY, DESPITE THE
JAMMING FOR THE REASONS THAT LISA MENTIONED.
SUSSMAN: AS THE PRICE OF SATELLITE DISHES COMES DOWN
MARKEDLY TOO, THAT OPENS UP A WHOLE NEW
POSSIBILITY, IT SEEMS TO ME. AND IN MANY
PLACES, IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING. THROUGH THE
MIDDLE EAST THERE ARE LOTS OF SATELLITE
RECEIVERS NOW ALTHOUGH THEY'RE NOT OFFICIALLY
ENCOURAGED. AND IRAN HAS MANY MORE THAN ANYBODY
WILL ADMIT, MOSTLY ILLEGAL. AS YOU INDICATED
EARLIER, SOMETIMES PEOPLE'S HOMES ARE INVADED TO
KILL THESE DISHES. BUT THERE'S PROBABLY OVER A
HUNDRED THOUSAND OF THEM THERE.
COWAN: AND THEY'RE BECOMING SMALLER AND SMALLER.
SUSSMAN: SMALLER AND SMALL SO THEY CAN'T BE VISIBLE.
HOST: EASIER TO DISGUISE.
SUSSMAN: EASIER TO DISGUISE AND CHEAPER.
HOST: IN IRAN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE AN INSTANCE WHERE,
NOT ONLY ARE THEY TRYING TO BAN INCOMING MEDIA
OR JAM IT, THEY HAVE A FATWAH, A DEATH THREAT,
ON A WRITER, A JOURNALIST, SALMAN RUSHDIE, WHICH
HAS YET TO BE WITHDRAWN. AND A DEATH SENTENCE
THAT THEY ARE ENCOURAGING. AND OF COURSE, THEY
ENGAGE IN THEIR OWN EXTERNAL BROADCASTING, DON'T
THEY?
COWAN: YES, ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS -- WHICH WE
IN THE WEST SOMETIMES FORGET -- IS HOW
AGGRESSIVE THE INTERNATIONAL, LITERALLY,
PROPAGANDA MACHINES OF OTHER COUNTRIES ARE. AND
IN THE CASE OF IRAN, THEY BROADCAST IN TWICE AS
MANY LANGUAGES AS THE VOICE OF AMERICA TO THAT
REGION. TWICE AS MANY LANGUAGES, TWICE AS MANY
HOURS, OVER MORE POWERFUL TRANSMITTERS. AND THE
LARGEST INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTER TODAY IN THE
WORLD IS NOT THE BBC OR THE UNITED STATES. IT'S
THE CHINESE. SO, THERE ARE OTHER VERY POWERFUL
VOICES OUT THERE. WHAT THOSE VOICES TRY TO DO,
IN MY OPINION, IS OFTEN TO PRESENT ONE POINT OF
VIEW. WHAT THE VOICE OF AMERICAN HAS A LEGAL
OBLIGATION TO DO IS TO PRESENT A BALANCED POINT
OF VIEW AND ALWAYS SEEK TO BE ACCURATE.
HOST: WHICH IS ONE REASON FOR THE EFFECT THAT YOU HAVE
HAD OVER THE YEARS IN THE FORMER SOVIET UNION,
EASTERN EUROPE AND, INDEED, IN CHINA TODAY.
COWAN: WELL, THAT'S RIGHT. THE VOICE OF AMERICA WAS
FOUNDED FIFTY-FOUR YEARS AGO, AS YOU MENTIONED,
TO COMBAT NAZI PROPAGANDA DURING THE EARLY YEARS
OF WORLD WAR TWO AND THEN THROUGHOUT THE WAR.
AND FROM THE BEGINNING, THE VOICE OF AMERICA
KNEW THAT THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT WAS TO BE
ACCURATE AND TO SOMETIMES TELL THE UNPLEASANT
TRUTHS ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR ALLIES. BUT
ULTIMATELY, THAT YOUR MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT
WOULD BE CREDIBILITY, WHICH, I THINK WE'VE BUILT
UP IN THE WORLD AND WHICH WE MAINTAIN.
HOST: SO, THIS COULD PROVIDE A STANDARD IN SOME
COUNTRIES WHICH ARE IN TRANSITION, SUCH AS I
MENTIONED IN EASTERN EUROPE AND RUSSIA. IN
FACT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS ACTIVELY SUPPORTING
THE DEVELOPMENT OF FREE PRESS THERE AS ARE
VARIOUS PRIVATE-SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS
YOUR OWN. WHAT ARE THE RESULTS IN EASTERN
EUROPE? I SEE ASTOUNDING FIGURES IN ROMANIA,
WHICH HAS SOME THIRTY-FOUR INDEPENDENT
TELEVISION STATIONS AND A HUNDRED AND THREE
RADIO STATIONS.
ELLIS: CERTAINLY. I THINK THAT ONE COULD SAY THAT
THERE'S BEEN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PROGRESS IN
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE
NUMBER OF NEW PUBLICATIONS IN THE PRINT MEDIA,
IT'S VERY HOPEFUL, I SHOULD SAY. BUT, IN TERMS
OF BROADCASTING IT'S LESS HOPEFUL. THERE MAY BE
A LOT OF NEW RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS, BUT
CERTAIN LEGAL RESTRICTIONS, ANTIQUATED PRESS
LAW, STILL EXISTS THAT MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT.
AND OBVIOUSLY THE GOVERNMENTS ARE NOT WILLING OR
HAPPY ABOUT ALLOWING OTHER VIEWS TO BE
BROADCAST, SINCE MOST PEOPLE GET THEIR NEWS FROM
RADIO AND TELEVISION. U.S. MEDIA ASSISTANCE, I
THINK, HAS BEEN, OVERALL, FAIRLY SUCCESSFUL. I
THINK THAT MORE MONEY CERTAINLY COULD BE PUT
INTO IT THAN THERE IS CURRENTLY. LEONARD, YOU
HAVE A MAP OF PRESS FREEDOM. HAVE THINGS
IMPROVED IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN.
. .
SUSSMAN: OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I GUESS, THERE'S BEEN
SOME IMPROVEMENT, BUT IT'S STILL, NOT THAT
ENCOURAGING. IN FACT, OUR LAST FIGURES WHICH WE
DREW UP VERY RECENTLY INDICATE THAT FROM A
POPULATION STANDPOINT, ONLY TWENTY-TWO PERCENT
OF THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD HAVE ACCESS TO FREE
NEWS MEDIA. BY COUNTRIES IT'S A LITTLE BETTER;
IT'S ABOUT THIRTY-FOUR PERCENT. BUT WE'D PREFER
TO DEAL WITH INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE, IN OUR VIEW,
THAT'S REALLY THE FOCUS OF JOURNALISM.
TWENTY-TWO PERCENT. IT'S A FAIRLY LOW
PERCENTAGE. AND THESE ARE BY CRITERIA THAT ARE
FAIRLY LIBERAL. IT'S NOT AN AMERICAN STANDARD
OR A WESTERN STANDARD. IF IT'S ANYTHING IT'S
BASED ON THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN
RIGHTS, WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH A HUMAN STANDARD.
HOST: WELL, I'M AFRAID THAT WE'VE RUN OUT OF TIME. BUT
IT SOUNDS AS IF THERE'S STILL A HUGE AUDIENCE
FOR THE VOICE OF AMERICA OUT THERE. WELL, WE'D
LIKE TO THANK OUR GUESTS -- GEOFFREY COWAN FROM
THE VOICE OF AMERICA; LEONARD SUSSMAN FROM
FREEDOM HOUSE; AND LISA ELLIS FROM FREEDOM FORUM
-- FOR JOINING ME TO DISCUSS PRESS FREEDOM
AROUND THE WORLD. THIS IS ROBERT REILLY FOR ON
THE LINE.
04-Apr-96 4:35 PM EST (2135 UTC)
Source: Voice of America