The media play an important role in the protection of human rights. They expose human rights violations and enable different voices to be heard in public discourse. However, the power of the media can also be misused to the extent that the very functioning of democracy is threatened, says Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in his latest Human Rights Comment published today. He stresses that some media outlets, including in European countries, have been turned into propaganda tools for those in power, while other media have been inciting xenophobic hatred against minorities and vulnerable groups. (more...)