ASSESSING COMMUNICATION RIGHTS: A HANDBOOK

The document introduces 'communication rights' as a broad conceptual umbrella that extends beyond freedom of expression to include democratic media governance, linguistic rights, and access to knowledge. It presents the Communication Rights Assessment Framework (CRAFT), which organises these rights into four pillars: Communicating in the Public Sphere, Communicating Knowledge for Creativity and Equity, Civil Rights in Communication, and Cultural Rights in Communication. The handbook details how to apply this framework through research, stakeholder verification, and follow-up advocacy, drawing on pilot projects conducted in Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, the Philippines, and the European Union.

• Communication rights are distinguished from freedom of expression by the argument that the latter is insufficient in a society with unequal power distributions. While freedom of expression protects the right to speak, communication rights seek to secure the conditions for a 'creative and respectful cycle of interaction' where people are actually heard and listened to.
• The Assessment Framework is structured around four 'Pillars' that represent interlocking blocks of social action: 'Communicating in the Public Sphere' (democratic debate), 'Communicating Knowledge for Creativity and Equity' (knowledge sharing and copyright), 'Civil Rights in Communication' (privacy and dignity), and 'Cultural Rights in Communication' (diversity and identity).
• Research in Brazil revealed extreme media concentration, with approximately 88% of media and communication companies owned by only nine private corporations, often linked to local oligarchies and politicians.
• In the Philippines, the research highlighted a high rate of journalist murders—seven in 2004 and fifty-six since 1986—primarily due to reporting on government and military corruption at local levels.
• The handbook identifies a global trend where intellectual property rights (IPR) legislation, often driven by WTO obligations (such as TRIPS), prioritises corporate profit over public access to knowledge and the protection of indigenous knowledge.
• The document notes a systemic failure in achieving universal ICT access, arguing that market-driven liberalisation and privatisation have failed to bridge the 'digital divide', leaving rural and poor communities underserved.
• In Kenya, while mainstream media is biased toward an English-speaking middle class, local FM radio has seen a cultural revival by broadcasting in local languages and promoting a music renaissance in 'Sheng'.
• The handbook proposes two strategic approaches for implementing the framework: a 'political-influence approach', which focuses on producing authoritative, objective research to influence the political environment, and a 'mobilisation approach', which focuses on building coalitions among civil society organisations for direct action.

APA

Siochrú, S. Ó. (2005). ASSESSING COMMUNICATION RIGHTS: A HANDBOOK. World Association for Christian Communication. https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Assessing-Communication-Rights.pdf

Chicago

Siochrú, Seán Ó. ASSESSING COMMUNICATION RIGHTS: A HANDBOOK. World Association for Christian Communication, 2005. https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Assessing-Communication-Rights.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Siochrú |first1=Seán Ó |title=ASSESSING COMMUNICATION RIGHTS: A HANDBOOK |publisher=World Association for Christian Communication |date=September 2005 |url=https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Assessing-Communication-Rights.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{siochr2005assessing, author = {Siochrú, Seán Ó}, title = {{ASSESSING COMMUNICATION RIGHTS: A HANDBOOK}}, institution = {World Association for Christian Communication}, year = {2005}, month = sep, url = {https://waccglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Assessing-Communication-Rights.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }