About
Defending and enabling free expression for all
Campaign for Free Expression is a non-profit organisation dedicated to protecting and expanding the right to free expression for ALL, and enabling EVERYONE to exercise this right to the full, whether it by speaking out, by protesting, by revealing information, by blowing the whistle on wrong-doing, by arguing, debating, writing, painting, composing or just by shouting out your opinion.
We are strictly non-partisan and fiercely independent. We don’t care what your view is: if it is legal, we will defend your right to have it, express it, argue it and fight for it. And if anyone or any circumstance is blocking your free expression, we will do what we can to expose and unblock it. It might be in the streets, in your workplace, at public meetings, on your campus, in any public space; it might be you alone or a vast mob of people; it might be that you are shouting, or singing, waving a sign with a message, or making provocative gestures with your hands – we are there to try to ensure that you can express yourself and take part in public life freely and openly.
We seek to build the widest possible coalition of organisations and individuals who care about the right to free expression. So, no matter what your views on other topics, if you support this fundamental right, then please fill in the Contact Us page and we will put you on our mailing list. In the near future, we will start a Friends of Free Expression (FFE), and invite you to join us in the fight to defend and expand free expression for all.
What we do
Our aims are
- To monitor the free flow of ideas and information and report on relevant events and developments
- To inject an informed, principled, consistent, and fact-based freedom of expression position into the national discourse.
- To encourage awareness of and support for freedom of expression across all elements of society, in particular ensuring it is not just a media concern but one for all citizens and civil society.
- Promote transparency and access to information in all sectors of society.
- Facilitate a broad alliance of those who care about this issue and partnerships with like-minded organizations. Build international alliances and partnerships.
- Undertake strategic and precedent-setting legal action to promote and defend free expression.
- Act as a think-tank on policy, particularly around the complex issues being thrown up by digital media, disinformation, and regulation.
- Lobbying for policies, laws and regulations which protect free speech and against those which hinder free speech
As a new organization, CFE is building the organization and planning its roll-out. Its activities will include:
- Monitoring and reporting on developments affecting free expression.
- Reacting to relevant news and events.
- Mobilising publicity and support for those whose freedom of expression is threatened.
- Research and publication on issues affecting free expression
- Facilitate a broad alliance of those who care about this issue and partnerships with like-minded organizations. Build international alliances and partnerships.
Our work is based on the following core values:
- Principled support for maximum freedom of expression and the importance of open and informed debate, discussion, argument, disagreement and the free flow of information.
- Non-partisan support for the expression of all opinions and ideas, no matter how uncomfortable, controversial and unpopular might be.
- Building of a broad coalition that will attempt to draw in as wide a spectrum as possible around this single issue.
CFE's Four Strategic Pillars.
CFE has four strategic pillars to guide us on what we do and how we prioritise
| Advocacy And Lobbying | Legal Support | Media Monitoring And Response | Research And Publishing |
|---|---|---|---|
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Awareness raising |
Offering legal interventions in FoE violation cases |
Monitoring and identifying FoE issues and developments |
Producing annual ‘state of FoE’ reports |
|
Capacity building |
Providing legal support for individuals under attack for exercising their right to FoE |
Responding to FoE violations and developments |
Producing organisational annual report |
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Regional and international mechanisms engagement |
Engaging in strategic litigation |
Producing media content related to media monitoring |
Producing policy briefs and primer documents |
|
Petitioning and government lobbying |
Monitoring, influencing and proposing changes to law and policy |
Identifying trends and patterns |
Producing and conducting thematic and/ sectoral research reports |
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Events |
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Giving interviews |
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Traditional media campaigns |
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Social media campaigns |
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"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
– UNITED NATIONS, UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
CFE currently has five directors
Board Of Directors
Staff Members
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Affiliations and partnerships
CFE has affiliations and partnerships with a number of local and international organisations. These include:
CFE is a member of the Legal Network for Journalists at Risk (LNJAR). LNJAR provides journalists and independent media outlets around the world with critical legal support to protect their continued reporting on issues of vital public interest.
Media Defence provides legal help to journalists, citizen journalists and independent media across the world.
“Our people fought for and chose constitutional democracy as a bulwark against fascism and dictatorship … We call on all people of goodwill to vigorously oppose [the] threat to our democracy and to stand united against those intent on violating the values and principles embodied in our Constitution.”
defendourdemocracy.co.za
The SOS Coalition is a public broadcasting network that campaigns for democratic media and broadcasting, as well as excellent programming by the public broadcaster.