<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2">Dear Anriette --<BR>
<BR>
The World Press Freedom Committee plans to be represented in Rio by<BR>
<BR>
Mark Bench, Executive Director<BR>
Julien Pain<BR>
Yr Humble Servant, Ronald Koven, European Representative<BR>
<BR>
Look forward to seeing you there.<BR>
<BR>
Bests, Rony<BR>
<BR>
PS I've stayed out of the I'net Governance caucus thread on freedom of expression because it seems to be raking over so many old coals, but I was tempted to remark in response to the person who once again raised the growingly hoary example of Radio des Mille Collines to justify limits on press freedom that the old Anglo-Saxon legal dictium that "hard cases make bad law" seems applicable.<BR>
<BR>
RMC was not an independent news media outlet but the propaganda organ of a party to a conflict (even if it masqueraded as an independent private radio and had experienced journalists on staff). Designating specific persons or groups for extermination is hardly a news media function. RMC was in fact a weapon in a civil war, and it would have been justified to bomb it out of existence if it could have been found. (Most probably out of fear that just that could happen, it moved around and was hard to locate.) Bombing it would have been as justified as bombing Dr. Joseph Goebbels Propaganda Ministry would have been justified during WWII. RMC had nothing to do with independent news media properly so-called.</FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"></FONT><BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> See what's new at http://www.aol.com</HTML>