By Kevin McCauley
The State Dept., which has been scrambling in the aftermath of the WikiLeaks disclosures, announced today that the U.S. will host UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day (May 1-3) in Washington, D.C.
A press statement from Philip Crowley, assistant secretary for State's bureau of public affairs, says the theme will show how the U.S. places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts.
"New media has empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals' right to freedom of expression," according to Crowley.
He says the State Dept. is "concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals and to restrict the free flow of information."
Crowley told a D.C. press briefing that WikiLeaks committed a crime under U.S. law.
The Newseum is to host two-days of scheduled events and the National Press Club will be the site of the award of the UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Freedom Prize to one who has contributed to the defense/and or promotion of press freedom.
Cano was editor of Colombia's El Espectador. A critic of Colombia's drug barons, he was murdered in Bogota in 1986.
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