When did you personally first thought about media freedom as such?
Of course, there have been moments in the historical upheavals that Estonian society has gone through when I have realised that the press has been able to rise above the regime and get its message to the people. But I would like to point out a paradox that is manifesting itself at the present time. Although the press is free, the interviewee, the speaker, the source, at times stifles his or her own ideas having possible side-effects in mind. Perhaps because they are being ridiculed on social media or because an institution somewhere thinks that their idea is not correct. It is a kind of an era of silence, where, for example, pundits, academics, give up appearing in the press when they see that the one with poor arguments has received a lot of attention and a lot of clicks.
Why does it matter for Estonia to be at the forefront protecting media freedom, internet freedom and freedom of expression?
I think it is a duty for every democratic country to stand up in defence of media freedom, internet freedom, in general the freedom of expression. Free and independent media is an essential pillar of a democratic society, without the quality and free information, we cannot make good and informed decisions. It is even more important today since at the time of the pandemic, reliable information is essential. Media freedom is one of the main guarantees for a democratic society to function. Estonia knows too well what it means to have these freedoms taken from us, and perhaps that is what pushes us to do even more. Estonia is committed – both internally as well as internationally – to promoting and protecting media freedom and to supporting diverse and independent media. This is also why Estonia joined the Media Freedom Coalition in 2019. Organizing the Coalition ́s annual conference now attests to our pledge of supporting media freedom.
Why does the Global Media Freedom Conference matter?
The conference will provide a forum to strengthen joint efforts in defending media freedom and human rights worldwide. From one hand it will contribute to strengthening the Media Freedom Coalition and will give further impetus to even more active cooperation and hopefully motivate further countries to join the coalition to proactively advocate for media freedom at home and abroad, and stand up for the safety of journalists and media workers across the globe. On the other hand, in order to make a change, we need the contribution from all
different stakeholders in the field – civil society, private sector and governments. This conference is a proof that this kind of cooperation is possible and desired. It is great to see how many will be partaking either physically or virtually.
What do you expect the conference to deliver?
Estonia aims to have concrete and tangible results that make a difference in the global media environment and will enhance the safety of journalists. Walk the talk so to say. Personally, I very much look forward to the Pledging event taking place on Thursday, the February 10th where upon the invitation of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia the Media Freedom Coalition Foreign Ministers as well as other delegations and participants of the Global Conference are welcome to present their commitments on how to improve the situation of media freedom and safety of journalists. And secondly, we need to talk more about the digitaal media space that combines traditional media freedom, internet freedom and freedom of expression dimensions. I am glad that this conference combines media and internet freedom topics. Overall, I look forward to fruitful discussions and strong united stand in defending media freedom worldwide!