Plans to Regulate Press in Honduras Worry IAPA
Saturday, 28 January 2012 00:00
Inter American Press Association
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) on Thursday voiced concern and surprise at an announcement by President Porfirio Lobo of Honduras that he plans to send to Congress a bill to regulate the practice of journalism and news media.
Lobo made the announcement on Wednesday night during his speech opening the Congress’s third legislative session, but he gave no details of the bill’s content. After praising the role of the news media in exposing wrongdoing committed in his government Lobo justified the need to regulate the media so they would not be “at the service of special interests,” explaining that journalism is “a true vocation.”
Gustavo Mohme, chairman of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, expressed surprise at Lobo’s announcement and said, “It is important that Honduras maintains its respect for freedom of the press and for the work of journalists as democratic values.”
Mohme, editor of the Lima, Peru, newspaper La República, declared that “journalism has no greater virtue than that which democracy demands, that is to say to be a watchdog over the powers that be, create public opinion and have the necessary freedom to practice the profession in accordance with its own editorial criteria.”
“Whatever law -- if any were necessary -- should underscore these democratic principles,” he added.
President Lobo signed the IAPA-sponsored Declaration of Chapultepec in February last year during a ceremony in Tegucigalpa, pledging to defend the principles of freedom of the press and free speech.
IAPA officers are planning to meet with Lobo late next month and among other matters discuss the difficult situation of the press in the Central American country in the face of violence unleashed by organized crime and drug traffickers. In the last three years 17 journalists have been killed in Honduras. (1/28/12)
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1. No people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant, it is an inalienable right of the people.
2. Every person has the right to seek and receive information, express opinions and disseminate them freely. No one may restrict or deny these rights.
3. The authorities must be compelled by law to make available in a timely and reasonable manner the information generated by the public sector. No journalist may be forced to reveal his or her sources of information.
4. Freedom of expression and of the press are severely limited by murder, terrorism, kidnapping, intimidation, the unjust imprisonment of journalists, the destruction of facilities, violence of any kind and impunity for perpetrators. Such acts must be investigated promptly and punished harshly.
5. Prior censorship, restrictions on the circulation of the media or dissemination of their reports, forced publication of information, the imposition of obstacles to the free flow of news, and restrictions on the activities and movements of journalists directly contradict freedom of the press.
6. The media and journalists should neither be discriminated against nor favored because of what they write or say.
7. Tariff and exchange policies, licenses for the importation of paper or news-gathering equipment, the assigning of radio and television frequencies and the granting or withdrawal of government advertising may not be used to reward or punish the media or individual journalists.
8. The membership of journalists in guilds, their affiliation to professional and trade associations and the affiliation of the media with business groups must be strictly voluntary.
9. The credibility of the press is linked to its commitment to truth, to the pursuit of accuracy, fairness and objectivity and to the clear distinction between news and advertising. The attainment of these goals and the respect for ethical and professional values may not be imposed. These are the exclusive responsibility of journalists and the media. In a free society, it is public opinion that rewards or punishes.
10. No news medium nor journalist may be punished for publishing the truth or criticizing or denouncing the government.
The struggle for freedom of expression and of the press is not a one-day task; it is an ongoing commitment. It is fundamental to the survival of democracy and civilization. Not only is this freedom a bulwark and an antidote against every abuse of authority, it is society's lifeblood. To Defend it is to honor history and truth.
At best, it would appear Mr. Lobo has neither understanding of nor appreciation for the Fourth Estate. At worst -- and more likely -- he may be trying to silence it.
Thank you so much for your praising of journalism. It is, in fact, "a true vocation," as you put it. But, although you're concern and respect for journalism is indeed commendable, your "help" is not necessary. Journalism is journalism, and lives and breathes on its own free and clear of government intervention. Otherwise, it's propaganda. A "true vocation" survives on the notion that it is pure, unencumbered and unbiased. Your proposed measures, would place constraints on journalists and the successful practice of a "true vocation."
Your "altruistic" motives, would they have anything to do with journalists in Honduras reporting exploding crime rates (which your embassy in Washington is debunking via Op-eds (read: propoganda/opinion, not journalism) pieces written in the Wall Street Journal?)?
Or, is it something to do with what one US embassy official said to me when I was in Honduras conducting research, (paraphrasing) "the number of journalists killed isn't all that high, some of them were bloggers."?
Your motives are transparent Pepe, any journalist can see that.