World Press Freedom Day Discussion May 3 In Westport

From UNASWCT: The UN Hospitality Committee and UNASWCT announced today that it will host a discussion on World Press Freedom Day, Friday, May 3, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Westport Town Hall Auditorium (110 Myrtle Avenue). Featuring Congressman Jim Himes and a panel of distinguished speakers, the topic of discussion will include key issues related to press freedom. First Selectman Jim Marpe will open the program.

About the Program:

Topics expected to be covered include the influence of financial issues and the profit motive on media coverage and sustainability, tensions between legitimate national security concerns and the public’s right to know, as well as censorship questions and government regulation of internet platforms. Some countries use censorship to control internet access to preserve government dominance and control, while others that do little to regulate internet usage are challenged by the spread of anonymous “fake news” and hate speech which can instigate deadly violence.

In addition to Congressman Himes, discussion participants will include Francesca Procaccini who is a Clinical Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School and the Ruttenberg Fellow for the Information Society Project’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic at Yale Law School. She holds degrees from Barnard College and Harvard Law School. Most recently, she was an attorney in the Civil Rights Division, Appellate Section, of the Department of Justice.

Also participating will be Michael De Dora, who is Washington advocacy manager at the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). He leads efforts to advance press freedom around the world with the U.S. government and other policymakers in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining CPJ, he served as director of government affairs and as the main representative to the United Nations at the Center for Inquiry, where he managed a range of domestic and international advocacy initiatives to advance freedom of conscience and religious liberty.

Rounding out the panel is Investment adviser, attorney, and founder of iheartfreedomofthepress.com, Mark Friedman, who became an active advocate for press freedom both to increase understanding of this foundational right and to celebrate its role in protecting liberty. A former teacher, Mark is CEO of Educated Wealth & Financial, LLC and was elected to Westport’s legislative body in 2017

The program is organized by the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut (UNASWCT) and the UN Hospitality Committee. It will be moderated by Bill Hass, Vice-President and past President of UNASWCT, who served for 31 years in a variety of news media related functions with the United Nations in New York, most recently as Senior Editor with responsibility for all English press releases and meetings coverage by the UN Department of Public Information.

For further program information, contact Bill Hass at 203-454-7685. For information about the UNASWCT, please visit www.UNASWCT.org.