118 STAT. 3791 PUBLIC LAW 108–458—DEC. 17, 2004 (C) the United States Government could and should do more to engage Muslim audiences in the struggle of ideas; and (D) the United States Government should more inten- sively employ existing broadcast media in the Islamic world as part of this engagement. (b) ENHANCING FREE AND INDEPENDENT MEDIA.— (1) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: (A) Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are fundamental human rights. (B) The United States has a national interest in pro- moting these freedoms by supporting free media abroad, which is essential to the development of free and democratic societies consistent with our own. (C) Free media is undermined, endangered, or non- existent in many repressive and transitional societies around the world, including in Eurasia, Africa, and the Middle East. (D) Individuals lacking access to a plurality of free media are vulnerable to misinformation and propaganda and are potentially more likely to adopt anti-United States views. (E) Foreign governments have a responsibility to actively and publicly discourage and rebut unprofessional and unethical media while respecting journalistic integrity and editorial independence. (2) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy of the United States, acting through the Secretary of State, to— (A) ensure that the promotion of freedom of the press and freedom of media worldwide is a priority of United States foreign policy and an integral component of United States public diplomacy; (B) respect the journalistic integrity and editorial independence of free media worldwide; and (C) ensure that widely accepted standards for profes- sional and ethical journalistic and editorial practices are employed when assessing international media. (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF MEDIA NETWORK.— (1) GRANTS FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF NETWORK.—The Sec- retary of State shall, utilizing amounts authorized to be appro- priated by subsection (e)(2), make grants to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) under the National Endow- ment for Democracy Act (22 U.S.C. 4411 et seq.) for utilization by the Endowment to provide funding to a private sector group to establish and manage a free and independent media network as specified in paragraph (2). (2) MEDIA NETWORK.—The media network established using funds under paragraph (1) shall provide an effective forum to convene a broad range of individuals, organizations, and governmental participants involved in journalistic activities and the development of free and independent media in order to— (A) fund a clearinghouse to collect and share informa- tion concerning international media development and training; (B) improve research in the field of media assistance and program evaluation to better inform decisions VerDate 11-MAY-2000 13:54 Nov 10, 2005 Jkt 029194 PO 00000 Frm 00325 Fmt 6580 Sfmt 6581 C:\STATUTES\2004\29194PT4.001 APPS10 PsN: 29194PT4
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