In recent years, international broadcasters have seen grave and rising threats to the right to gather information and communicate it across national borders.

A growing number of countries – in Eurasia, Africa, South and East Asia, and Latin America – have restricted or blocked coverage of events of significant public interest. Journalists – including many working for our organizations – have been detained, arrested, expelled, kidnapped or killed.

Particularly disturbing are new efforts by some governments, through the licensing and regulatory process, to restrict or forbid local rebroadcasts of our programs on radio and television through local partnerships. And more states are deliberately interfering with broadcast signals or are attempting to block or censor the Internet.

As international broadcasters, we deplore such efforts – and call upon governments to end any and all practices that hamper the right of people everywhere to "receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers." [United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights]

Each of us has a different history, a different mission, different resources and different experiences, but we all share a common goal – to present accurate and comprehensive news and information to audiences around the world.

Accordingly, we oppose efforts to restrict this important work, and call upon governments worldwide to halt such practices.

Adopted in Hilversum, Netherlands on November 30, 2007

BBC World Service (United Kingdom)
Deutsche Welle (Germany)
Radio France Internationale (France)
Radio Netherlands Worldwide (Netherlands)
Voice of America (United States)

VOA announcement | Hat tip: Alan Heil