Patrick Penninckx, Head of the Information Society Department, at the Council of Europe was a guest speaker at the News Media Coalition’s Annual General Assembly at the Agence France-Presse headquarters in Paris. Penninckx was in a panel discussion with the Chair of the News Media Coalition’s Public Policy Committee – Alex Stepney – who is Head of Policy and Public Affairs at News UK.
In his question and answer session with Stepney, Penninckx recalled the importance of media freedom and particularly the valuable role performed by news gatherers in reporting on sporting events. Penninckx added that the News Media Coalition’s engagement and involvement in media policies of the Council of Europe has led to a recognition that media freedom in sport is an issue that deserves the attention of policy makers.
In the discussion with the NMC members facilitated by Stepney, Penninckx invited the News Media Coalition to continue its activity with the Council of Europe and bring to the attention of Member States and officials best practice examples of media friendly policies that can be promoted through work streams and forums. The Council of Europe has published a story on Penninckx’s participation that can be found here.
