OSCE Urges Austrian Interior Ministry To Treat All Media Equally

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2018) The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir criticized on Tuesday the Austrian Interior Ministry for issuing instructions restricting communication with some media outlets and urged the ministry to refrain from attacking the media.

On Monday, Austrian newspapers Kurier and Der Standard reported that the Interior Ministry in an e-mail to police departments of nine Federal states announced its intention to limit some channels of communication with media, which cover the activities of the police and the ministry itself "in a one-sided or negative way."

"While the Interior Ministry subsequently described the instruction as a 'suggestion', I urgently call on the Interior Ministry to immediately and officially revoke this instruction.

I recall that protection of media freedom is key to democracy. Access to information must be provided to all media equally regardless of their editorial orientation," Desir said, as quoted by OSCE press service.

Later, the ministry's spokesperson explained that the controversial e-mail was about developing a unified way of communication between the police and the ministry in certain cases, "especially with regard to the citizenship of foreign suspects and information about sexual crimes, since the regional police departments approached this question in different ways." He noted that the ministry was interested in honest cooperation with the media and will build a line for transparent communication with them.

Commenting on the scandal, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called any restriction of media freedom in Austria unacceptable.