Exporting the matrix

About this book

"The great English human rights barrister, Geoffrey Robertson, Q.C., described them as 'secular missionaries.' He was describing the fifteen media law experts whose powerful essays fill the pages of Exporting the Matrix: the Campaign to Reform Media Laws Abroad. By turns idealistic and practical, the essayists in this new anthology write from their years as pro bono volunteers abroad. They write with passion and understanding of how central progressive reforms of media laws are to creating democratic institutions in the developing world. The authors strike the right balance between their enthusiasm for the First Amendment-rich American model of an unfettered press, on the one hand, and their sensitivity to the particular cultural, religious and historical traditions in the countries where they work on reform legislation. Exploring the Matrix provides colorful case histories of the challenges faced by the writers in navigating these traditions while working side-by-side with their colleagues abroad. What social and political taboos, for instance, are confronted in helping draft a nation's first Freedom of Information law? How is it possible to overcome centuries of imprisoning journalists for the crime of criticizing the head of state? The anthology provides valuable analyses of various legal environments affecting the mass media and the Internet, and features examinations of American, common law, European and Asian jurisprudence"--Jacket.