Abstract

This article discusses Greer’s controversial interpretation of La estatua de Prometeo’s political text, which argued that the protagonist, the enlightened Prometeo, is a dramatization of the Queen´s enemy, Don Juan José of Austria and that Calderón is suggesting him as the best option for governing the troubled Spanish Empire. This article provides an alternative interpretation that better aligns with the personal and political position of the Queen regarding the political events that are being dramatized and resolves the contradictions that arose from Greer’s interpretations. This, in turn, contributes to our understanding of the level of freedom of expression enjoyed by Golden Age playwrights.

Abstract

Freedom of expression is both a life and death matter and a bread and butter issue. Free media that allow a diversity of voices to be heard and all ideas to be discussed play a central role in the sustaining and monitoring of good government, as well as in the fostering of economic development and the encouraging of corporate transparency and accountability. Students in both developed and developing nations need to understand that there is no global issue or political arena in which the statement of problems and the framing of possible solutions are not influenced by media coverage. The Salzburg Academy on Media and Global Change is the meeting point where universities from around the world, media organizations and international institutions such as the UN and UNESCO have worked jointly for the first time in order to build a global media literacy curriculum, related lesson plans, exercises and resources to teach students to evaluate the media they read, hear and see, as well as teach them to speak out for themselves. The GML materials are written by a global commu nity for a global community and aim to prepare students the world over for active and inclusive roles in information societies.

Abstract

The future development of the web largely depends on net neutrality, that is, ensuring that all content, sites and platforms are treated equally. This article assesses the origins and motivations that exist in the debate about network neutrality. Then it focuses on the two distinct views regarding net neutrality: the Openists, supporters of an open net without restrictions, on one side and Deregulationists, naturally suspicious of any government regulation, on the other. Finally, this article describes the net neutrality regulatory framework within the European Union.

Abstract

Whilst science and religion are arguably compatible as two methods to identify truth, in practice they are divergent in their effects. This has serious implications for the theory and practice of library and information work. By starting with the human right of freedom of expression (which contains the right of freedom of access to information) it is possible to compare religion and science and their tendency towards mystery or transparency. The scientific method is inherently sceptical, testing hypotheses with openly exposed methods and results. Although the purity of science is sometimes reduced by its paymasters (governments, corporations and foundations) and by the scientific establishment itself, it offers a model of transparency. Religion is based on faith in some form of revelation, often encapsulated in a book or books, against which knowledge is tested. In practice this preference for authority and mystery encourages the forceful rejection of ideas and fosters secrecy both intellectual and organisational. It is suggested here that libraries are institutionsthat expose ideas for public use and that they are therefore part of the scientific project. The censorship and suppression of ideas associated with religion needs to be resisted by library and information professionals in whatever form, such as a resurgent emphasis on protection of religion through blasphemy laws, that this tendency manifests itself.

Abstract

The attack on the weekly Charlie Hebdo  by Muslim fanatics is discussed. The author argues that freedom of expression includes the criticism of religious ideas, based on Articles 18 and 19 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The types of problematic incidents that occur in connection with religious beliefs, such as blasphemy, defamation and hate speech are reviewed. The relativity of the blasphemy concept, which varies across countries and eras –after science had dismantled unfounded beliefs- is discussed. Several laws are analyzed and court proceedings and penalties imposed in religious cases in several countries are presented. The repeal of blasphemy laws is advocated because they restrict freedom of expression and belief. Legal systems that recognize blasphemy as a crime are a threat to libraries and other institutions of information if they provide access to allegedly blasphemous content.

Abstract

This article reviews the elements that have facilitated greater communicative autonomy for significant contemporary social movements and organizations through new media. Taking as reference the historical diagnosis of Hans Magnus Enzensberger (1970) for an emancipatory use of social media, we analyse the process of emergence and development of a new information paradigm in the global activity of contemporary social movements. Finally, we offer a selection of common elements implemented by these movements for the promotion of open and emancipatory management of new media as a tool for social empowerment.

Abstract

Disinformation poses a very important and growing risk to our society, either alone or in association with other hybrid threats, which is being addressed at both the international and European Union (EU) as well as national level. Within the EU, a multidisciplinary and cooperative approach has been advocated between all the actors involved, in contrast to the strong regulatory perspective traditionally adopted in the history of European integration within the EU framework. For this reason, together with the inherent limitations imposed by the nature of the right to freedom of expression and information on any possible administrative censorship or criminal punishment, Spain has adopted only one recent regulation (Decree PCM/1030/2020) to establish the Spanish procedure to combat disinformation as required by European directive. Moreover, although fake news cannot be prosecuted directly in Spain outside the scope of crimes against the market and consumers, fake news can include very different types of criminal offence depending on the content and the intention with which it is disseminated. We illustrate these possibilities through some recent judicial decisions on this matter and declarations by the Office of the Attorney-General. It remains to be seen whether this soft approach to combating disinformation will be sufficient to combat this new plague on our contemporary society effectively.