Stop East Timor Press Law
We, the undersigned journalists and media of Australia, respectfully urge the President, Government and Parliament of Timor Leste, to reject the current proposed Media Law. The laws are incompatible with the basic principles of freedom of expression, the practical workings of a free media and the needs of a modern democracy.
Whatever the best intentions of the proposed legislation are, the potential for political abuse by future administrations is enormous. Read more here.
The proposed legislation will leave journalists open to an endless array of fines and criminal prosecutions. It will force journalists to work to a vague list of national and economic objectives. It will place the right of both citizens and journalists to write, publish and express themselves into the hands of a potentially politicised committee.
Journalism should not be criminalised. Journalists should not be licenced at the whim of government appointed committees.
We urge you to reconsider this legislation,
Signed:
Mark Davis, Dateline, SBS TV
David Marr, Journalist, The Guardian Australia
Ruth Pollard, Middle East Correspondent, The Sydney Morning Herald
Tony Jones, Presenter Q&A, ABC TV
Ben Doherty, The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax
Sophie McNeill, Foreign Correspondent, ABC TV
John Pilger, Journalist, Author & Documentary Filmaker
Steve Pennells, Journalist, The West Australian
Chris Bath, TV Anchor, Seven Network News
Rove McManus, Presenter, The Project, Channel Ten
Zoe Daniel, Presenter, Foreign Correspondent, ABC News
Marni Cordell, Editor, Crikey News
George Negus, Veteran International Journalist
Ginny Stein, African Correspondent, ABC News
David O'Shea, Dateline, SBS TV
Sue Spencer, Executive Producer Four Corners, ABC TV
David Dare Parker, Photojournalist
Jock Cheetham, Journalist, The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax
Sarah Ferguson, Journalist, ABC TV
Dr David Robie, Director, Pacific Media Centre
Mark Colvin, Presenter, ABC Radio
Peter Manning, Former Head of ABC TV News and Current Affairs; Former Head of Current Affairs, Seven Network.
Yalda Hakim, Presenter/Correspondent, BBC World News
Olivia Rousset, Independent Journalist
Yaara Bou Melhem, Dateline SBS TV, Al Jazeera International
Matt Brown, Middle East Correspondent, ABC
Helen Davidson, Journalist, The Guardian Australia
Michael Bachelard, Indonesia Correspondent, The Sydney Morning Herald
Chris Graham, Editor, New Matilda
John Garnaut, Asia Pacific Editor, The Sydney Morning Herald
Lee Glendinning, Journalist, The Guardian Australia
Phil Thornton, Freelance Journalist in Southeast Asia
Peter Cronau, Senior Producer/Journalist, Four Corners, ABC TV
Ted McDonnell, Freelane Journalist and Photojournalist
John Martinkus, Former Journalists and Author
- Government of Timor-Leste
- President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Taur Matan Ruak