The No-Nonsense guide to Communication Rights

The guide argues that freedom of expression alone is insufficient because it often privileges those with the most power and resources. It proposes a broader concept of 'communication rights' based on four pillars: public communication spaces, the free exchange of knowledge, the protection of dignity and security, and the preservation of cultural and linguistic diversity. The text highlights how global trends—such as media concentration by corporations, restrictive copyright laws, and state surveillance—undermine these rights, particularly for marginalized groups in the Global South.

• Communication rights are distinct from and broader than 'freedom of expression' because the latter can be dominated by powerful voices if the underlying means of communication are not equitably distributed.
• The framework of communication rights is built upon four essential pillars: the need for public spaces for democratic debate, the ability to communicate and exchange knowledge freely, the protection of individual dignity and security, and the support for cultural diversity.
• Global media concentration by a few corporations biases content toward profit and reduces the diversity of sources and perspectives.
• The expansion of copyright duration and stricter enforcement in the digital realm is restricting the public domain and the use of knowledge.
• State security agendas, particularly in the digital environment, are being used as pretexts to erode civil rights, privacy, and freedom from surveillance.
• Cultural homogenisation is being driven by the commodification of mass media culture and the dominance of the English language, which excludes many from public discourse.

APA

Lee, P., Turley, A., & Thomas, P. (n.d.). The No-Nonsense guide to Communication Rights. World Association for Christian Communication. https://new.waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/10communication_rights.5.pdf

Chicago

Lee, Philip, Anna Turley, and Pradip Thomas. The No-Nonsense guide to Communication Rights. World Association for Christian Communication, n.d. https://new.waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/10communication_rights.5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lee |first1=Philip |last2=Turley |first2=Anna |last3=Thomas |first3=Pradip |title=The No-Nonsense guide to Communication Rights |publisher=World Association for Christian Communication |url=https://new.waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/10communication_rights.5.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leendnononsense, author = {Lee, Philip and Turley, Anna and Thomas, Pradip}, title = {{The No-Nonsense guide to Communication Rights}}, institution = {World Association for Christian Communication}, url = {https://new.waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/10communication_rights.5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }