In countries all around the world, government surveillance, repression and influence are posing new challenges for the media and civil society. More and more frequently, we are seeing an arms race between journalists, Internet activists and governments, with governments attempting to protect their monopoly on information by monitoring and blocking websites and communication channels through intimidation and condemnation.

Can new online media and much-touted grassroots journalism offer a way out? Or do developments like the restrictions imposed on freedom of expression on the Internet in places like Vietnam and Turkey show that not even the Internet can stop this trend? Why are civil society organizations so active online, especially in countries with underdeveloped Internet infrastructure? And why is media freedom developing so diversely in Eastern Europe, with positive tendencies in Poland and dramatic declines in Hungary?

“Media Freedom Under Pressure - Global Trends and Perspectives” is an opportunity for bloggers, journalists and media experts from various countries to join us in a discussion of these developments. The session is presented by two of the Bertelsmann Foundation's projects: the Sustainable Governance Indicators and the Bertelsmann Transformation Index.

Presented by the Bertelsmann Foundation.