A/HRC/7/14 Page 12 27. The exclusion of marginalized and vulnerable groups from the media is a key issue that needs to be addressed by the international community. Minorities, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, refugees and many other vulnerable communities have faced higher barriers, some of them insurmountable, to be able to fully exercise their right to impart information. For these groups, the media plays the central role of fostering social mobilization, participation in public life and access to information that is relevant for the community. Without a means to disseminate their views and problems, these communities are in effect shut down from public debates, which ultimately hinders their ability to fully enjoy their human rights. 28. The Special Rapporteur further stresses that diversity of content – in the broadcast, digital and printed media – is a desirable goal that should be encouraged. The strengthening of educational and cultural content and the increase in the space given to minorities and vulnerable groups to express their views, for example, can greatly increase the quality of the media outlets themselves. However, utmost care must be taken in order to prevent these goals from ultimately threatening the right to freedom of opinion and expression. The promotion of content diversity must not be used under any circumstances as a means to influence, directly or indirectly, the fundamental principle of editorial independence. The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that the most adequate means to promote diversity is not direct interference with media outlets, but rather more general measures to set up a free environment where independent media outlets and content producers can emerge and flourish. In this regard, the benefits of the Internet, particularly the way it allows even individual users to disseminate content on a global scale, should be duly taken into account and strengthened. Internet governance 29. The issue of Internet governance has been a key focus of the Special Rapporteur in the implementation of his mandate, particularly in the preparation and follow-up of the World Summit on the Information Society, whose final phase was held in Tunis in 2005. Although the Summit itself focused chiefly on technical and business matters, overlooking human rights issues, it served as an opportunity for a number of NGOs to organize parallel events

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents