Academics call for new law to protect rights of journalists
Calls are growing in the legal and academic community for the mainland to realise its constitutionally protected freedoms of speech, with analysts claiming that a more independent press could reduce social tensions and advance democracy.
During a forum organised last week by the Beijing Lawyers' Association's constitution and human rights committee and Peking University's constitution and human rights research centre, analysts said journalists needed legal protection so they could do their jobs.
The forum came after the release last month of a Shanxi journalist jailed for eight years for exposing corruption and a Taiwanese firm's decision to drop a defamation action against two mainland reporters who alleged its staff were being mistreated.
Central University for Nationalities law professor Xiong Wenzhao said a law on journalism should be drafted to protect the rights of news workers and to help strike a balance between press freedom and defamation.
'Press freedom is the principle that should apply, and limitations on reporting should be the exceptions. We should list the exceptions within a reasonable limit, and otherwise everything should be allowed to be reported,' he said.
He said cover-ups were now the rule and publicity was the exception. He also said that without freedom of speech there would be no democratic politics.