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TunisiaMedMedia seeks to bring Palestine’s press law in line with international standards
August 25, 2016
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Palestine’s Press and Publications Law was the focus of a consultancy visit to Ramallah organised by the EU-funded MedMedia peer-to-peer programme earlier this month. Jordanian expert Yahia Shukair spent two weeks working with the Media Development Centre (MDC) at Birzeit University, which operates a task force aimed at developing a national media strategy in Palestine.
During his visit to Palestine, Mr Shukair examined the 1995 Press and Publications Law which, amongst other shortcomings, includes provisions for imposing prison sentences on journalists. He came up with a set of recommendations for bringing the law closer in line with international standards.
Buthayna Alsemeiri, MDC’s Projects Manager, commented: “This fresh look on the law from an expert with international and regional expertise is highly valuable for the Centre, and will help foster better media legislation in Palestine while avoiding the shortcomings which other countries in the region suffer from.”
During a previous consultancy, Yahia Shukair helped review and proposed amendments to other media laws, including the draft audio-visual law which proposes giving a Tripartite Committee of ministries the power to regulate broadcasters and grant licences; the law defining the statute and powers of the High Council for Media, an independent regulatory body; and the law on the Press Complaint Commission, a new mechanism to deal with citizens’ complaints on media content.
MedMedia’s peer-to-peer mentoring programme works to facilitate an exchange of expertise between media organisations across the Mediterranean.
The EU-funded MedMedia project aims to create an enabling environment for media reforms in the Southern Mediterranean region. It is part of the €17 million EU programme “Media and culture for development in the Southern Mediterranean” which aims at supporting the media and culture reform processes in the region.
MedMedia focuses on media legislation, regulation, programming, strategy and leadership with a view to helping state media fulfil their public service mandate and compete with the commercial sector. It will also work to build public trust by strengthening the media’s role as an independent watchdog and a forum for democratic debate. (EU Neighbourhood Info)
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MedMedia project website
MedMedia facebook page
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – Culture and media
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