On May 29, the American Library and Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate, Chennai, as part of World Press Freedom Day, hosted a conversation on the Freedom of Expression and Human Rights in the Digital Age with panelists Sam Daniel, Tamil Nadu Bureau Chief, NDTV, Dr. Suresh, National General Secretary, People’s Union for Civil Liberties and Kirthi Jayakumar, Digital Media Activists and Story Teller. Information Officer Emily Fertik opened the program with the challenges faced by the society in encompassing social media platform by various players. The conversation touched on various elements such as cultural dogmas, state infringement on freedom of expression, non-state-actors or political groups, sensitivities of privacy, differences between traditional media and social media, social media’s role in highlighting and informing the world on rights violations. The panelists also fielded questions from more than 50 invitees on the futures challenges, democracy, role of civil society groups, direction of social media in engaging citizens and rule of law.
