Iceland mulling plan to become 'haven' for journalism

The proposed measures would also protect journalists against libel judgments issued in other countries — similar to U.S. legislation now being considered to shield American reporters from court judgments abroad.

“All of these good laws exist in countries like Sweden, Belgium and the United States, but no single country has implemented all of them,” project spokesman Smari McCarthy said. “There are a lot of journalist organizations that are being forced to jump between jurisdictions, seeking certain sets of protections.”

The set of proposals — collectively called the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative — was drafted by lawmakers across parties in Iceland with help from international experts, lobby groups and WikiLeaks. The nonprofit site claims to have posted 1.2 million leaked government and corporate documents that it says expose unethical behavior, including a 2003 operation manual for the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Project supporters say stronger protections for journalists are needed amid increasingly aggressive attempts by powerful corporations and wealthy individuals to suppress sensitive information with legal threats.

McCarthy said international publishers and news providers might benefit by registering in Iceland or gathering their news from there, while online publishers could also be protected just by hosting their servers in the country.

He acknowledged potential problems, however, particularly with competing jurisdictions.

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