The Right to Communicate: Past Mistakes and Future Possibilities

Originally written in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) set out to articulate the basic human rights for all people. However, in 1969 Jean D’Arcy wrote that 'the time will come when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will have to encompass a more extensive right than man’s right to information. … This is the right of man to communicate.' Since 1969 the world has struggled with how to define, translate into policy, and implement D’Arcy’s right to communicate. This paper (2007) explores the history of the right to communicate and the attempts to translate it into policy, both on an international stage and in a Canadian context. Alternative policy paths for advocates for the right to communicate will also be examined and suggestions for concrete actions will be made.

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