A/HRC/7/36 page 7 33. One of the first steps mentioned in addressing the issue should be the start of negotiations with the International Federation of Journalists for the creation of a code of conduct to be followed by the media. 34. There was also mention of the negative portrayal of black women in the media, which contributed to their being victims of violence. There was further mention of youths of African descent being portrayed as criminals by the media in Latin America, and it was suggested that there should be an alternative to portraying adolescents only as rappers and potential sports players. There is no portrayal of them as having the potential to be professionals. 35. One member of the panel stated that ownership of the media was concentrated in fewer and fewer hands; that could be one of the major causes for the negative portrayal of people of African descent. The Durban review process could be an opportunity to open a frank dialogue with the media regarding how people of African descent were portrayed by them. 36. Regarding alternative media, such as the Internet, it was stated that they were very important as most youths had access to alternative media and actively communicate using them. The Working Group and OHCHR were challenged to take advantage of alternative media outlets, such as YouTube, during the Durban review process, to encourage young people to participate in its activities over the Internet and other alternative media channels. 37. This was followed by mention of the absence of quantity and quality of reporting on people of African descent; the issues that are particularly important to people of African descent were being ignored, and there was a surplus of reporting that showed people of African descent in a bad light. The Durban Review Conference would be an excellent opportunity to end the invisibility of the Durban process. There was substantive coverage of the Durban Conference in 2001, but the tragedy of 9/11 had the effect of wiping the Durban agenda off the world’s conscience. 38. One observer stressed that it would be imperative to have a mixture of binding and voluntary measures to be taken and implemented by the media. There was a view of false reporting as a growing problem that threatened international peace and progress. 39. The international legal framework, it was stated, was conceived shortly after genocide in Europe, where there had been an abundance of incitement to racial and religious hatred. As a result of time and increased freedom of expression, people had forgotten that dark chapter of history. The threshold should be lowered to tackle incidences of incitement to racial and religious hatred. The media, it was further stated, was currently not subject to scrutiny, as there were no effective media watchdogs. There was a difference between freedom of expression and freedom of opinion; while the right to holding an opinion was absolute, that of expression was not, if it implied infringing on the enjoyment of others of their specific rights. 40. Mr. Frans, expert of the Working Group on People of African Descent, mentioned that the Western media dominated and financial and technical wealth determined what was reported and exported to the rest of the world. He mentioned that most studies had shown that the international news flow was still controlled by only a handful of newsagents. That, he believed,