The European Parliament has passed a resolution urging the European Commission and member states, “to safeguard media pluralism.” The resolution also calls for, “an open discussion on all issues relating to the status of weblogs.”
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted 307 to 262 on Sep. 25, in support of the resolution, based on a report produced this summer by the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Education.
The original report caused a blogstorm in June, when Swedish media mistakenly thought the report was draft legislation aimed at forcing European bloggers to be registered. In fact, the European Parliament cannot initiate legislation.
The report called for full clarification of the legal status of bloggers, in areas such as source protection, copyright and defamation lawsuits. This would be difficult to achieve, as there is no legal consistency in these areas between the EU member states. It also controversially called for the disclosure of blogger interests, and the voluntary labelling of blogs.
Estonian centre-left MEP, Marianne Mikko heads the Committee on Culture and Education. After the vote on the much watered down resolution, Mikko told reporters, “I’ve been subject to a lot of attacks from bloggers all over Europe. I’ve been called Mao Zedong, Lukashenko, Ceausescu. It’s not very pleasant.”
The MEP sounded confused by the experience. She said, “I understand and yet I don’t understand the reaction of bloggers. Nobody is interested in regulating the internet … But I understand how a sensitivity was touched. I’m sorry that’s the playground we’re dealing with at the moment.”
The point of most blogs is that they are independent. Most readers treat what they see with healthy scepticism and are capable of determining if a blog has authority. Ms Mikko does not seem to appreciate this.
Would you want an official seal of approval on your blog?
Popularity: 2%
RE Ausetkmt
an official seal from the government would be like a stamp from satin.
no thank you,
~RE
October 3, 2008 at 05:30
Tim Neale
Who would carry out the audit? The way accusations of bias and lies get thrown around on US blogs, no one would ever pass.
October 3, 2008 at 19:59
rarzi
i think this the political ambition for the power for goverment
October 5, 2008 at 04:04
Tim Neale
Agreed, as more political campaigning switches online, so state actors will push to control the internet.
October 5, 2008 at 07:31
Jeff
Hmmm, I wonder how these issues are addressed in China.
October 6, 2008 at 16:15
Tim Neale
Perfectly apparently, I haven’t heard anyone in China complaining.
October 6, 2008 at 20:06
Leet
I agree, who will carry out the audit.
Beside, technology is fast developing industry. You do regulation in one area, new latest item which not on the list has already concord the market around the globe.
October 11, 2008 at 12:47
Rob
As Oscar Wilde said, “It is when people agree with me that I feel I must be wrong.”
October 13, 2008 at 16:22
Tim Neale
Shame a few more bankers never read Oscar Wilde.
October 13, 2008 at 17:03
Hicham
Freedom dosn’t mean to make a mess however I can’t understand how come bloggers are independent under the shadows of such regulations in case implemented? I’ve heared about this ib Middle East too.
November 13, 2008 at 12:04