11:34 AM |
PACIFIC FREEDOM FORUM
MEDIA RELEASE
Regional: UK law changes should prompt defamation review in Pacific: PFF
For immediate release: Nov 16, 2009:The Pacific Freedom Forum welcomes
news of law changes dropping criminal defamation in the United
Kingdom, as reported by media freedom organisation Article 19.
"Pacific lawmakers and leaders in nations where criminal defamation
still exists should look at doing the same and we would welcome and
support a review building on the scoping done by the AusAID 'Informing
Ctitizens' report of 2005," says PFF Chair Susuve Laumaea, of Papua
New Guinea.
"Not only are many of our jurisdictions based on the Westminster
system, but a review will also help Pacific people understand they are
already protected from libel and slander by civil defamation laws,
which rely on truth as a defence."
This is not the case in criminal defamation, where plaintiffs have to
prove truth as well as convince a court their information was
published in the public interest.
"This gray area of what the public should and should not know can be
open to abuse and as we see in the Pacific, is most often used by
governments to silence and censor media outlets. This leads to the
well-known 'chilling effect' where journalists and their bosses
self-censor because of the threat and cost of a criminal defamation
case," says Co-chair Monica Miller of American Samoa.
"PFF is keen to assist progress on the initial work research
presenting the Pacific media situation and the legislation chapter in
the AusAID report. It's clear there are questions and changes which
have come up since 2005 and the implications of the law change from
the UK should be looked at in an objective way," she says.
"Importantly, a regional legislative update on decriminalising
defamation must also take into account the need to raise public
awareness on defamation, and the issue of information published on the
internet." ENDS
Link to Article 19 release:
http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/united-kingdom-defamation-decriminalised.pdf
CONTACT:
PFF interim Chair
Susuve Laumaea | Sunday Chronicle Newspaper | Papua New Guinea
Mobile: 675-684 5168 | Office: 675-321-7040 | Email: susuve.laumaea@interoil.com
PFF interim co-Chair
Monica Miller | KHJ Radio | American Samoa
Mob 684 258-4197 | Office 684 633-7793 | Email: monica@khjradio.com
The Pacific Freedom Forum are a regional and global online network of
Pacific media colleagues, with the specific intent of raising
awareness and advocacy of the right of Pacific people to enjoy freedom
of expression and be served by a free and independent media.
We believe in the critical and basic link between these freedoms, and
the vision of democratic and participatory governance pledged by our
leaders in their endorsement of the Pacific Plan and other commitments
to good governance.
In support of the above, our key focus is monitoring threats to media
freedom and bringing issues of concern to the attention of the wider
regional and international community.
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pacific islands media association
pima.nius@gmail.com
aotearoa, new zealand
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