Robert Szustkowski, a philanthropist and businessman, calls for the introduction of new rules for the protection of personal image in the European Union. In the face of growing concerns about disinformation and violations of individual rights, the author of the initiative points to the urgent need to establish clear rules and guidelines aimed at preventing unjustified accusations and defamation of people, companies and institutions. His appeal is based on personal experience where a businessman was the object of a slander policy of his image in numerous press titles, which resulted in negative social and professional consequences.
– In today’s reality, labeling a private person or entrepreneur as Russian – even without any evidence – means business death and a disgrace to one’s personal reputation. This is worse than a crime – emphasizes Robert Szustkowski.
It turns out that after many years of trials and judgments of Polish courts (2020) clearing him of any suspicions connections with Russia and the services of a foreign country or apologizing in leading dailies information in Poland, is still a victim of persecution of selected editorial offices… Therefore, he now calls for the introduction of new rules for the protection of personal image in EU countries, emphasizing that slandering people without credible evidence violates their rights and damages their reputation.
A new social initiative, announced by Robert Szustkowski, comes down to a proposal to extend the European legal directive, the so-called “Right to be forgotten” on the media, enabling individuals to request that outdated or false information about themselves be removed from Internet search engines. The solution he proposed would provide individuals with a mechanism to combat false accusations and damage to their personal reputation….
Moreover, Szustkowski suggests creating a mechanism of the News Ombudsman (modeled on the British Reader’s Editor institution, functioning in many editorial offices) in the media, which would enable the accused to present their version of events and requesting corrections or editorial notes to materials.
Calling for the introduction of new rules for the protection of personal image in EU countries, Szustkowski emphasizes the importance of protecting the rights and dignity of the individual. His initiative aims to introduce standards of transparency and accountability in media coverage and support fairer social rules.
–Given the current challenges of disinformation and external threats, the European Union must prioritize the protection of individual rights. The pursuit of introducing new rules for the protection of personal image may contribute to a more sustainable and fair society in the European Union– says the author of the social initiative.
Szustkowski draws attention to the fact that the media – making baseless accusations about the past of many businessmen – distract readers from the real problem and today’s real threats, which are justified concerns in the European Union about disinformation and the activities of groups linked to the governments of foreign countries, introducing false information to the public information space.
Source: biznews.com.pl