Day against cyber-censorship
12 March, the World Day Against Cyber Censorship launched by Reporters Without Borders in 2008, denounces cyber-censorship worldwide. While this action initially targeted regimes such as China or North Korea, it now concerns our own countries, where censorship has become institutionalised.
It was created by RSF[1] (Reporters sans frontières) in 2008. This day of internet freedom is first and foremost intended to denounce cyber-censorship around the world[2].
Originally, this event was mainly aimed at China and its laws on internet control. To denounce censorship by governments and call for more freedom on the internet, Reporters Without Borders called for demonstrations in nine enemy countries: Burma, China, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, …
Unfortunately, a non-exhaustive list. Because even BAM had its YouTube page taken down two years ago. And yes, in Belle Gique, there is censorship too.
AI is controlled and therefore censored. We have all noticed it while browsing Chat GPT, Perplexity, Notebook, …
Threats on all sides
More recent events have taught us, at our expense, that the major democratic countries were not to be outdone when it comes to threats to civil liberties… Covid has been and gone.
Censorship is often linked to the ever-delicate experience of denunciation. A sport quite popular with Belgians. They rather like to needle their neighbours. The courts are full of quite pointless lawsuits.
Denial is another form of censorship
The mainstream media have become past masters in the art of concealing what is nevertheless the truth. “Lies take the lift. Truth takes the stairs”. After 4 years, accuracy has arrived on the right landing, but clearly our media do not want to admit their mistakes, their lies or even their outright collaboration with those who did not want the truth to come to light.
Journalism is the activity of gathering, verifying and possibly commenting on facts in order to bring them to the public’s attention in the media, within a defined ethical framework.
Just as the Hippocratic Oath was trampled underfoot, the work of journalists was clearly dictated by the subsidising powers. To hell with ethics, or the cowardice of obeying one’s editor-in-chief.
Day of the repentant, of alternative media or of the Great Pardon?
We hesitated with the collective over the name of our world day. No harm in treating ourselves. Even in decreeing that 1 April be the day of the strict truth, since the blooper reel never ends.
Even with repentant witnesses, court cases such as Qatargate, Kazakhgate and the Sarkozy trial are getting bogged down. We drop the repentant title.
There is, on 3 May, a World Press Freedom Day created by the Media Freedom Coalition[3] (MFC). The MFC also defends the safety of journalists and media professionals, and holds to account those who harm journalists and seriously prevent them from doing their job. The whole thing is controlled by the United Nations. So no thank you.
The Great Pardon quickly fell through because it is too close to Yom Kippur.
Vamos for the World Day of Doubters
A day on which we will highlight the women and men who support the alternative press. Those who join the people known as Conspiracy Theorists. A word that no longer exists in today’s world.
A conspiracy is a plan hatched in secret in order to harm human beings or institutions. In what we are currently experiencing, everything is legible and public. The word conspiracy theorist is therefore obsolete.
Since we are young, not very wealthy and short-staffed, we have opted for 29 February. It comes round every 4 years. No rush. We have 3 years to prepare the event.
Pietje Schramouille
The opinions expressed in this opinion piece are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of BAM!
Standfirst by BAM!
Illustration: Censorship / Eric Drooker (https://www.drooker.com)
[1] Reporters sans frontières (RSF)
[2] Journée mondiale contre la censure sur internet, le 12 mars
