IFEX published a guideline prepared by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) and the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) to provide support for the media community in Burma in addressing the anticipated introduction of a press law and a press council. Journalists and civil society groups are encouraged to use this guideline for their discussions and advocacy strategies.
This Report describes the various features which distinguish a good from a bad press law. No law is perfect, but certain minimum requirements are needed for the law to be able to have a positive impact on society. Key among these is the need for any oversight body – such as the press council – to be independent of government. The press council also needs to have the right package of powers, including the power to develop a code of conduct and to hear and decide on complaints that newspapers have not respected the rules in the code. Finally, the press law needs to establish various positive protections for media freedom, including a prohibition on prior censorship and positive guarantees for the right of everyone to work as a journalist, and the rights of journalists to form their own associations and unions and to protect their confidential sources of information.
It is hoped that the government of Myanmar will introduce positive proposals regarding the press law. This Report should help journalists and others to assess whether or not that is the case when the draft law is finally published. Getting the press law right is crucially important to the overall success of the process of democratisation in the country. Now is not the time to compromise on this important issue.
2012.08.16 IFEX.org Guidance for Burmese journalists on promoting an empowering press law
2012.08.15 SEAPA Full report - Guidance for Journalists on Promoting an Empowering Press Law
Reporters Without Borders welcomes the announcement by Burma’s censorship office, that the government is abolishing prior censorship for "political and religious" print media from today. The organization would like to see the PSRD disbanded as soon as possible. Reporters Without Borders will closely monitor the drafting of an announced new press law that is supposed to regulate the rights and duties of journalists and establish a code of conduct for the media.
The authorities have said the new press law will also be used to create a Press Council. Reporters Without Borders is of the view that this council must be fully independent of the government, while the media and journalists’ associations must be fully involved in the law’s drafting.
2012.08.20 RSF.org Cautious welcome for announced lifting of pre-publication censorship