The protection of sources and whistle-blowers 2015, para. 19
Paragraph- Paragraph text
- Two categories, for example, expand beyond officially recognized journalists. First, there are those who most closely reflect the professional engagement in collection and dissemination: members of civil society organizations who conduct research and issue findings, and researchers - academics, independent authors, freelance writers and others - who regularly participate in gathering and sharing information publicly. It is common for such people to adopt and publish methodologies that underscore the degree of professionalism upon which their work depends. Many non-governmental organizations are themselves publishers of well-sourced content that, in form and substance, is virtually identical to the work of the press, often the result of thorough research, in-the-field reporting and analysis. It is common for human rights researchers to rely upon sources who require confidentiality for safety. Recognizing a broad scope of protection, the European Court of Human Rights indicated that "non-governmental organisations, like the press, may be characterised as social 'watchdogs.' In that connection their activities warrant similar Convention protection to that afforded to the press". The Information Commissioner's Office in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland granted a non-governmental organization, Global Witness, an exemption from the national Data Protection Act because its work, and those of other non-media organizations, "constitutes a journalistic purpose even if they are not professional journalists and the publication forms part of a wider campaign to promote a particular cause". In Canada, a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec upheld a researcher's right to protect confidential information.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Means of adoption
- N.A.
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2015
- Paragraph type
- Other
- Reference
- SR Freedom of Opinion, Report to the UNGA (2015), A/70/361, para. 19.
- Paragraph number
- 19
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Date added
65 relationships, 65 entities