The Steering Committee on Media and Information Society held its 14th plenary meeting in Strasbourg from 19 to 21 June. This meeting was the first one under its new mandate 2018-2019. The meeting focused on the deliverables being prepared by the two experts committees MSI-JOQ and MSI-AUT as well as on strengthening protection of journalism, safety of journalists and other media actors.

The Committee welcomed the outlines for the expected deliverables of its Expert Committee on Quality Journalism in the Digital Age (MSI-JOQ), namely the draft recommendation on promoting a favourable environment for quality journalism in the digital age and the study on media and information literacy in the digital environment. It also decided to task the MSI-JOQ to prepare a declaration on the funding of quality journalism and emphasised the urgency of revising the funding models and providing a more sustainable environment for quality journalism.

The CDMSI expressed its support for the on-going work in the Expert Committee on Human Rights Dimensions of Automated Data Processing and Different Forms of Artificial Intelligence (MSI-AUT) and welcomed the directions taken with regard to the three deliverables: a declaration to focus the attention of policy makers and the public on the manipulative powers of algorithm-empowered tracking devices, a draft recommendation on the human rights impacts of the use of algorithms, and a study on the development and use of AI with a focus on the implications of AI decision-making systems for the concept of responsibility within a human rights framework.

Furthermore, the CDMSI and the Consultative Committee of Convention 108 discussed and jointly approved the ‘Guidelines on safeguarding privacy in the media’.

The CDMSI considered a strategy for the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 on the protection of journalism and safety of journalists and other media actors together with a draft implementation guide to the Recommendation and endorsed them both. It further held a hearing on the topic, notably based on valuable practices, such as the Swedish Action Plan on Defending Free Speech, the Netherlands’ Audit of Freedom of Expression, and the research into best practices carried out in connection with the 3rd edition of the OSCE Safety of Journalists Guidebook.

The CDMSI also discussed the progress of the implementation of the Council of Europe Internet Governance Strategy 2016-2019 on the basis of information provided by the secretariat and of the Secretary General’s mid-term report. It took note of the appointment of Jan Kleijssen, Director of Information Society and Action against Crime Directorate, as Internet Governance Coordinator and of the fact that the development of Artificial Intelligence and ensuing impacts on human rights will be on the agenda of the Human Rights Commissioner.

Furthermore, the CDMSI held an exchange of views with the Thematic Coordinator on Information Policy (TC-INF), Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova Corina Călugăru, on relevant activities and, in particular, on the exchange of views between the Committee of Ministers and representatives of internet companies, as follow-up to the exchange of letters between them and the Secretary General in November 2017. It was welcomed that two new entities, Cloudflare and EuroISPA, had joined this initiative which now expands to nine companies and seven associations.

Finally, the CDMSI discussed the holding of the proposed Conference of Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society (Cyprus, May 2020), underlining the need for a multi-stakeholder approach at highest level.