Prince Lobel is the organizing partner, and Joe Steinfield is the originator and co-chair of the upcoming international conference “The War on Words – Terrorism, Media and the Law,” to be held at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna in Vienna, Austria on October 5 and October 6, 2009. The conference is being organized by the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Salzburg-based Center for International Legal Studies (CILS).
Also sponsoring the conference are United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the City of Vienna.
The conference will feature panel discussions that will focus on government efforts to broaden their law enforcement powers in the name of security, the watchdog role of the media, and the relationship between freedom of expression and religious tolerance. The two-day program will include the following sessions:
- September 11, Combating Terrorism, and the Erosion of Civil Liberties
- Tortured Logic – What Words to Use in Reporting Terror?
- The Watchdog Role of the Media in the Fight Against Terrorism
- Shouting Fire in a Crowded Theater: Incitement, Freedom of Expression and Religious Tolerance
- The Vienna Declaration on Terrorism, Media and the Law
This conference will bring together leading journalists, lawyers, human rights advocates, and security and counterterrorism experts from Europe, North America, Asia and Africa to discuss the impact of the fight against terrorism on civil liberties, in particular freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
For more information, click here to visit the conference Web site, or contact Joseph D. Steinfield at 617 456 8015 or jsteinfield@princelobel.com.