ITANAGAR : The U.S. Department of State’s London International Media Hub hosted an online interaction on Tuesday for journalists from India, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and several other countries, focusing on Freedom 250 and the recent diplomatic engagements of United States Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Sarah B. Rogers.
The discussion centred on commercial diplomacy, cultural heritage preservation, digital freedom and innovation. Among the participants was Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) General Secretary and The Arunachal Pioneer Sub-Editor Sonam Jelly.
Sharing insights from her recent two-week visit across South and Central Asia, Rogers said the United States’ engagement in the region was guided by three key priorities—commercial diplomacy, preservation of cultural heritage and strengthening connectivity through digital freedom and innovation.
The issue of media censorship and regulation of social media platforms featured prominently during the interaction when Jelly sought Rogers’ views on whether censorship was necessary and the challenges governments face in regulating online spaces.
Responding to the query, Rogers said the United States approaches the issue through the lens of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech. She described censorship as the suppression or punishment of speech by a central authority, particularly governments, based on the viewpoints being expressed.
“I don’t think that any country needs censorship. In fact, I think we’re all much better without it,” Rogers said, adding that free speech and free enterprise have historically driven innovation and technological advancement in the United States.
At the same time, she acknowledged that governments face legitimate concerns over harmful conduct in digital spaces. Distinguishing regulation from censorship, Rogers said there could be appropriate “rules of the road” online without suppressing ideas or restricting free expression.
Citing the recently enacted Take It Down Act in the United States, she highlighted legal protections available to victims of deepfakes and non-consensual intimate imagery as an example of targeted measures designed to address online harms while safeguarding freedom of speech.
Throughout the interaction, Rogers emphasised that open information ecosystems and free expression are not only democratic principles but also important drivers of economic growth, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Jelly’s intervention reflected growing global concerns over how societies can combat misinformation, deepfakes and other emerging digital challenges without undermining the fundamental freedoms that underpin democratic discourse.
