Citation

Anyanwu C. Int. J. Speech Lang. Pathol. 2018; 20(1): 26-33.

Affiliation

School of Communication and Creative Industries, Charles Sturt University , Bathurst , New South Wales , Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Speech Pathology Association of Australia, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/17549507.2018.1419281

PMID

29316824

Abstract

At its very first session, the United Nations General Assembly, adopted Resolution 59(I) which states that "freedom of information is a fundamental human right and … the touchstone of all the freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated". In 1948, it proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris. Article 19 of that Declaration states that "everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers". When we place these basic human rights against current global terror threats, and consequent restrictive antiterror legislations to combat them, the question becomes whether Article 19 is still relevant in the context of today's changed security landscape. The aim of this paper is to explore ways that anti-terror legislations can balance between national security, and the protection of freedom of information.

Language: en

Keywords

Article 19; Clausewitzian war; Universal Declaration of Human Rights; anti-terror legislation; freedom of information; globalisation; human rights; information technology; legislative challenges; media frames; new wars; public safety; social cohesion; spiral of silence; surveillance society; terror conflicts