In today’s particularly tense geopolitical landscape, the 2024 U.S. election will be decisive not just for the United States but for the world. During Democracy Week 2024, an event co-organised by the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy (AHCD) and the Geneva Graduate Institute with the support of the Permanent Mission of the United States delved into key characteristics of the U.S. media landscape and how these might impact the campaign and election, and thus impact the state of democracy in the U.S. and globally. It featured distinguished experts, including Rodney Benson, Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University, Jussi Hanhimäki, Professor of International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute, and Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Opinion and Expression, and was moderated by Stephanie Nebehay, Journalist, former Reuters’ Geneva Bureau Chief and Contributor to weekly Geneva Observer.
…Irene Khan pointed to the human rights implications of the current media environment, reflecting on the U.S. as the world’s oldest surviving democracy. “The First Amendment was written in the 18th century,” she said, raising concerns that free speech frameworks are being tested by today’s digital media and social media platforms. Khan stressed that access to reliable information is not just a democratic necessity but a fundamental human right. She pointed out that social media platforms, particularly Elon Musk’s X, are driving polarisation by prioritising content that fuels division. The “free speech absolutism” of such platforms, she warned, is dangerous when it enables the spread of harmful misinformation.