National Press Club Teams With National Endowment for Democracy To Discuss Internet Freedom

Regulation of the Internet will be the subject of a timely panel discussion on April 24 at the National Press Club.

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Just over a week ahead of World Press Freedom Day, the National Press Club's Press Freedom Committee and the Center for International Media Assistance at the National Endowment for Democracy will jointly present a wide-ranging and in-depth discussion of Internet freedom.

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Last December, U.N. member states at the World Conference on International Telecommunications approved a treaty that may open the door to an international organization regulating the Internet. The question of oversight of the Internet is increasingly important. More centralized approaches may provide greater legitimacy for countries like China and Iran to tightly control the flow of information online.

So how do the complex power dynamics among governments, corporations and citizens affect freedom of expression online? And what is at stake in this debate for journalists and press freedom advocates?

What: "Governments, Gatekeepers, and Journalists: What's Next in the Struggle for Internet Governance?"

When: April 24 from 9:30 until 11am

Where: The conference rooms of the National Press Club, at 529 14th Street, N.W. on the 13th floor.

The event is free but space is limited. Register here. http://press.org/events/celebrate-world-press-freedom-day-cima#tickets

The panel will be moderated by Marguerite Sullivan, senior director for the Center for International Media Assistance at the National Endowment for Democracy. The panel features Laura DeNardis, an associate professor in the School of Communication at American University; Ross LaJeunesse, the global head of free expression and international relations at Google; Katherine Maher, director of strategy and communications for Access Now, an organization that advocates digital freedom; Christopher Painter, the coordinator for cyber issues at the U.S. Department of State; and Carolina Rossini, a Brazilian attorney with expertise in intellectual property, internet governance and law and open innovation strategies, who is a fellow at the Group for Public Policies on Access to Information at University of São Paulo.

The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) at the National Endowment for Democracy works to strengthen the support, raise the visibility and improve the effectiveness of independent media development throughout the world. Follow the event @CIMA_Media on Twitter: #cimaevents

The National Press Club is the world's leading professional organization for journalists.  Founded in 1908, the Club is an ardent defender of press freedom and open government in the United States as well as globally. Twitter: @PressClubDC.

SOURCE National Press Club