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Thursday, 28 May 2009 19:57 |
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Kigali: People who have been practicing as journalists but do not now meet the requirements of the new Act passed on Thursday have only 5 years to get the papers or else they will be considered illegal in the professional, RNA reports. After that time, practicing journalism without the prescribed guidelines will be criminal.
Lawmakers unanimously passed the controversial act after reviewing the four articles that President Kagame had recommended are changed. The law is yet to go to the Senate before the Presidential assent.
Only people with either a journalism degree or diploma, or with similar qualifications in other fields but with journalism training, will be allowed to practice as journalists, according to article 95. This piece was changed as the shunned previous act only referred to people with journalism degree or diploma.
The act gives media practitioners who do not meet this criterion “60 months” from the date when the act will be published in the official gazette. This will be after the President has signed it.
During discussion on the bill, local journalists and media academics recommended that people with qualification in different fields but with added training in journalism be allowed in the profession, and that there be a five-year transition for those practicing journalism without relevant training to access it.
The Lower Chamber also dropped their previous arrangement on criminal responsibility where now the Managing Editor answers first in the case of print media, and the Presenter or Anchor – in the case of broadcast.
Information Minister Louise Mushikiwabo re-tabled the bill in Parliament on last week together with amendments proposed by the President.
Media watch dogs had predicted that since the both the Senate and Lower chambers are dominated by the dominant Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), the amendments proposed by the President are likely to be passed without much debate.
The bill also proposes that journalists be compelled to reveal their sources, failure to which they will be fined Rwf 100,000 to 300,000 (approx. US$180-530).
Another controversial issue is the start-up capital required to open a media house. The earlier draft bill had proposed that any investor seeking to set up a print media house have at least Frw6 million, and radio and television stations between Frw50 million and Frw 100 million, respectively. The president proposed that the requirements be left to a
ministerial decree.
The president's action is not without precedent. Before the existing 2002 press law came into being, he also declined to sign it and proposed a review of articles prescribing a death penalty for those denying that genocide occurred. This and other clauses were subsequently deleted from the law.
Since the passage of the law, numerous international and local groups had protested at the stringent clauses that undermined the independence of the media. In November 2008, before Senate endorsed the bill, the Media Institute and UNESCO conducted a mission to Rwanda that identified the flaws and recommended amendments.
Rwanda has defended itself against criticism of suppressing press freedom by citing unprofessionalism in the media.
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Last Updated on Friday, 12 June 2009 21:36 |
