Want to know if it's okay to expose environmental hazards in your country, write a scathing critique on a government official, or set up a blog under a pseudonym, but don't know where to start? Check out ARTICLE 19's legal analyses to see at a glance the major developments in the law relating to free expression last year in four different regions: the Americas, Middle East and North Africa, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

ARTICLE 19's reports include reviews of new laws, bills, rules and Supreme Court decisions that help - and hinder - free expression.

Jesuit Father Jacob Srampickal passed away in Austria on April 14, 2011 aged 62. In the course of his career Fr Srampickal headed several media organizations and taught communications in India and abroad. In February 2012, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India appointed the Patna Jesuit priest director of its National Institute for Social Communication, Research and Training (NISCORT). He was expected to take charge in June 2012.

Fr Srampiackal was the inspiration behind the institute and was a co-founder along with Fr John Noronha, former director of Caritas India. He was the first dean of the institute based at Vaishali, a satellite town of Delhi in Uttar Pradesh state. He has served on the ecumenical jury at international film festivals and has served as one of the consultants to the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications.

Index believes that freedom of expression is the foundation of a free society and for over 40 years it has defined and defended this right. It uses the power and immediacy of writing to bring international attention to people who are prevented from speaking out. Its website and award-winning magazine are a forum for reports, analysis and discussion of the latest developments for freedom of expression.

The first Index on Censorship appeared in March 1972, published by  Writers and Scholars International. In that issue (1972 1: 11) Stephen Spender, one of its founders, wrote: "The role of WSI will be to study the situation of those who are silenced in their own countries and to make their circumstances known in the world community to which they spirtually belong."

The Memory of the World in the Digital Age is an international conference that will explore the main issues affecting the preservation of digital documentary heritage in order to develop strategies that will contribute to greater protection of digital assets and help to define an implementation methodology that is particularly appropriate for developing countries.

The conference takes place 26-28 September 2012 in Vancouver, Canada, and will bring together professionals from the heritage sectors, as well as a range of government, IT industry, rightsholders and other stakeholders to assess current policies in order to propose practical recommendations to ensure permanent access to digital documentary heritage.

Internews, the international non-profit organization whose mission is to empower local media worldwide to give people the news and information they need, has published an important new toolkit. Called Speak Up, Speak Out: A Toolkit for Reporting on Human Rights Issues, it is aimed at helping journalists and other content creators learn the basics of reporting on women’s and other human rights issues.

Respect for the rights of women and girls worldwide continues to lag behind that for the rights of men. Domestic and sexual violence, exploitation in the workforce, human trafficking and many other human rights abuses disproportionately affect women and girls. Although 187 nations have acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), many have stipulated that they do not consider themselves bound by certain provisions.

American war correspondent Marie Colvin lost her life in February 2012 covering the conflict in Syria. Her death underlines the dangers facing professional women and men journalists. In some countries, Afghanistan, Russia and Mexico, for example, the profession seems doubly dangerous for women.

Marking International Women's Day, IFEX, the global network for free expression, has acknowledged this grave situation in an article reprinted here. WACC advocates the right to communicate and adds its own voice to this tribute.

By Philip Lee, WACC Deputy-Director of Programs

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) has redesigned its logo to include a new tagline “Communication for All”.

The tagline is the Vision Statement that emerged from the lengthy process that resulted in WACC’s Strategic Plan 2012-2016. When the Plan was approved by WACC’s Board of Directors in October 2011, a Mission and Vision Task Force was set up to craft new texts. The basic criteria were fidelity to WACC’s aims, straightforward language, conciseness, and a clear relation to WACC’s heritage and its new strategic directions.

WACC calls on its members and partners to celebrate and support World Radio Day, 13 February 2012.

By Philip Lee, WACC Deputy-Director of Programs

In today’s hi-tech era of digital communication platforms, radio – especially community radio – remains vitally important to many people worldwide. Such a practical expression of communication rights guarantees spaces for ordinary people to have a public voice and to be heard by decision-makers at local, national and global levels. WACC partners have pursued communication rights by struggling to change national legislation regarding access to the radio spectrum and licenses for community radio. WACC itself has often supported community radio under its communication development programmes. Local partners are currently establishing or strengthening community radio stations in Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bosnia, Burkina Faso, Mexico, and Sierra Leone with WACC’s support.

By Philip Lee, WACC Deputy Director Programmes

The WACC Board of Directors met on 15 November 2011 to review and approve two new statements on the organisation’s vision and mission. WACC’s Vision Statement is now “Communication for all”.

The new Mission Statement reads: “The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) is an international organization that promotes communication as a basic human right, essential to people’s dignity and community.  Rooted in Christian faith, WACC works with all those denied the right to communicate because of status, identity, or gender.  It advocates full access to information and communication and promotes open and diverse media. WACC strengthens networks of communicators to advance peace, understanding and justice.”

Media Release: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 24 November 2011

Letter Ban Ki Moon 2011.pdf

In a letter addressed to UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon to mark International Day on the Elimination of violence against women and girls, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) points at the extreme levels of violence women journalists face while carrying out their professional duties. The IFJ denounces aggression, threats, political pressure, violence, rape and abuse that women journalists have to face due either to their gender or simply for doing their job. The situation is made much worse by the prevailing culture of impunity which protects and emboldens the perpetrators of these crimes.

Member States approve the reinforcement of UNESCO’s contribution to World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) goals

With only four years left until the 2015 target date for achieving the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) goals, 195 Member States expressed their overall satisfactions with the achievements and progress made by UNESCO and reconfirmed its important role in bridging the digital and knowledge divides. Since the outset of the WSIS process, UNESCO has been committed to implementing the WSIS outcomes.