The Council of Europe (45 member states) is finalizing a recommendation on the 'right of reply' in on-line media. Through a right of reply persons and organisations can reply to articles in the media in which they have been portrayed or criticized. Many countries in Europe already have a limited right of reply for printed media.
A committee of specialists has finalized the draft recommendation during a 16-18 June meeting. The recommendations are not limited to professional on-line media but "any natural or legal person or other entity whose main activity is to engage in the collection, editing and dissemination of information to the public via the Internet". This definition will not only cover professional news portals but also personal blogs, moderated mailinglists and individual websites.
Some parts of the recommendation are very detailed. "The reply should be made publicly available in a prominent place for a period of time which is at least equal to the period of time during which the contested information was publicly available, but in any case no less than for 24 hours." The recommendation will pose a greater burden on on-line media then on off-line media as on-line media are supposed to have more room for lengthy replies: "There should be flexibility regarding the length of the reply since there are less capacity limits for content than in off-line media."
An earlier draft of the recommendation limited itself to professional on-line media. But after an expert hearing in February 2003 definitions were broadened. The summary of the hearing mentions: "It could be argued that there was a particular need to grant a right of reply against non-professional media where there was an increased risk of compromising material."
The recommendation might collide with the very recent declaration on freedom on the internet by the same Council of Europe. That declaration urged countries to preserve anonymity on the internet. But the recommendation on the right of reply in on-line media mentions that "on-line media should make the name and contact details of a person responsible for handling requests for replies easily available".
A recommendation from the Council of Europe is not binding for its member states.
The right of reply in the on-line environment (21.03.2003)
http://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/media/7_Links/Right_of_reply_heari...